Published on 2025-08-07T06:18:08Z

SemrushBot-SI

SemrushBot-SI is a specialized web crawler from the SEO platform Semrush. The 'SI' stands for 'Site Intelligence,' and its purpose is to collect data about a website's overall structure, content, and performance for Semrush's analytical services. The data it gathers powers the platform's competitive intelligence and SEO analysis tools, helping users benchmark their performance against competitors.

What is SemrushBot-SI?

SemrushBot-SI is a web crawler from the SEO platform Semrush, with 'SI' standing for 'Site Intelligence.' It is designed to gather data about websites for Semrush's analytical services. The bot identifies itself in server logs with the user-agent string Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; SemrushBot-SI/0.97; +http://www.semrush.com/bot.html). It systematically visits web pages to analyze their content, structure, and performance metrics, with a focus on collecting data that powers Semrush's suite of SEO tools.

Why is SemrushBot-SI crawling my site?

SemrushBot-SI is crawling your site to collect data for the Semrush analytical platform. It is gathering information about your site's structure, content, and performance to include in its database, which allows Semrush users (including your competitors) to analyze your online presence. The frequency of visits depends on factors like your site's popularity and how often it is analyzed by Semrush users. This is a legitimate crawling activity that is part of Semrush's business operations.

What is the purpose of SemrushBot-SI?

The purpose of SemrushBot-SI is to collect the website data that powers Semrush's site intelligence features. This data allows Semrush to provide its users with competitive analysis and SEO insights. For Semrush users, the information offers valuable intelligence for improving their own search visibility. For the website owners being crawled, there is an indirect benefit in that your site may gain visibility among marketers looking for partnerships, though it also means your SEO strategies are visible to competitors.

How do I block SemrushBot-SI?

To prevent SemrushBot-SI from collecting data from your website, you can add a disallow rule to your robots.txt file. This is the standard method for managing access for SEO crawlers.

To block this bot, add the following lines to your robots.txt file:

User-agent: SemrushBot-SI
Disallow: /

How to verify the authenticity of the user-agent operated by Semrush?

Reverse IP lookup technique

To verify user-agent authenticity, you can use host linux command two times with the IP address of the requester.
  1. > host IPAddressOfRequest
    This command returns the reverse lookup hostname (e.g., 4.4.8.8.in-addr.arpa.). 
  2. > host ReverseDNSFromTheOutputOfFirstRequest
If the output matches the original IP address and the domain is associated with a trusted operator (e.g., Semrush), the user-agent can be considered legitimate.

IP list lookup technique

Some operators provide a public list of IP addresses used by their crawlers. This list can be cross-referenced to verify a user-agent's authenticity. However, both operators and website owners may find it challenging to maintain an up-to-date list, so use this method with caution and in conjunction with other verification techniques.