Googlebot-News User-Agent & Blocking Rules
Operated by Google. Verify the official user-agent string and safety status for this bot. Use the tools below to run a live crawlability test and get copy-paste robots.txt rules to manage its access. Crawler info last updated on .
What is Googlebot-News?
Googlebot-News is a specialized crawler that discovers news articles for inclusion in Google News.
Test if Googlebot-News can access your URL
Enter URL to test if Googlebot-News is allowed or blocked.
Is Googlebot-News safe?
Yes, Googlebot-News is considered safe.
This bot is verified and generally respected by the SEO community.
For more information about our safety badges, visit our documentation.
User-Agent String used by Googlebot-News
Googlebot-NewsHow to block Googlebot-News with robots.txt?
Add the following standard robots.txt rule to prevent Googlebot-News from accessing your site.
User-agent: Googlebot-News Disallow: /
What happens if I block Googlebot-News?
Critical Impact
Blocking Googlebot-News may affect how Google processes your website. This could impact your search rankings, rich results, or specific Google features. Review Google's documentation before blocking.
Common use cases for Googlebot-News
Understanding how Googlebot-News is typically used can help you make informed decisions about whether to allow or block it on your website.
- Specialized Google crawler for specific features
- May handle images, videos, or other media types
- Supports Google Search features and rich results
- Works alongside main Googlebot for comprehensive indexing
- Respects robots.txt and crawl-delay directives