*Thisarticle is based on a YouTube video by Sophie Hundertmark, an expert in the use of artificial intelligence with a focus on chatbots and strategic AI applications in companies and public institutions. Sophie is a researcher and lecturer at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and is doing her doctorate in Conversational AI at the University of Fribourg. The blog text was created using a custom GPT model that was trained on Sophie’s video content, language style and expertise. The result is well-founded, up-to-date articles based on Sophie Hundertmark‘s own expertise.
You can find the link to the video at the end of this article.
Many companies are currently grappling with the question of how their websites can be made visible in AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, Claude, or other AI systems. The focus is often on high-quality content or a good SEO strategy.
However, one crucial point is often overlooked: the technical foundation. After all, even the best content won’t do much good if AI bots aren’t allowed to crawl your website at all.
Why the robots.txt File Is So Important
The robots.txt file controls which parts of a website bots are allowed to visit and which they are not. Originally, it was used primarily for search engines like Google. Today, however, it also plays an important role for AI bots.
If an AI bot is blocked by the robots.txt file, it won’t be able to read your content. This means that your website may also be ranked significantly lower in AI-powered search results.
Here’s How to Check Your Website in Just a Few Seconds
The test is incredibly simple.
Just add the following suffix to your domain:
/robots.txt
Example:
Once you open the file, you’ll immediately see which bots are allowed or blocked.
What You Should Keep in Mind
The ” Disallow” entry is particularly important.
If certain AI bots are explicitly blocked there, they won’t be able to crawl your website.
Ideally, the following applies:
- AI bots are expressly permitted, or
- At the very least, they are not ruled out.
Explicit authorization for ChatGPT or other AI systems is often not necessary at all. Above all, it is crucial that they not be blocked.
Many websites have their own rules
If you look at various robots.txt files, you’ll notice that many websites specifically exclude numerous sections. That’s perfectly normal.
For example, the following areas are often closed off:
- Administrative Areas
- Internal search pages
- Test Environments
- Technical Directories
These settings are useful and generally do not negatively affect the visibility of the actual content.
The only important thing is that the bots are generally allowed to access the relevant pages.
What can you do if AI bots are blocked?
If you notice that AI bots are being blocked in your robots.txt file, you should have the configuration checked.
Talk to your web developer or web agency about this and find out whether this restriction was intentionally set or should be adjusted.
This is often an outdated approach that no longer makes sense today—especially if you want your content to be discoverable by AI systems in the future.
Conclusion
Optimizing for AI visibility doesn’t start with the content—it starts with your website’s technical infrastructure.
With a quick glance at the robots.txt file, you can check in just a few seconds whether AI bots can even access your content. This small adjustment can make a big difference when it comes to gaining visibility in ChatGPT, Claude, and other AI systems over the long term.
If you want to make your website ready for the future, you should therefore not only focus on good content, but also ensure that the technical requirements are in place.
Any further questions?
Do you have any questions? I am happy to support you, act as a sparring partner and answer your questions. I am always happy to receive your messages, preferably by WhatsApp message or e-mail.
