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

serpstatbot

serpstatbot is the official SEO crawler for Serpstat, an all-in-one SEO platform. Its purpose is to scan websites to discover and index backlinks, which builds the extensive backlink database that powers Serpstat's analysis tools. The bot's activity helps SEO professionals with competitor research and link-building strategies. It is a well-behaved bot that respects robots.txt directives.

What is serpstatbot?

serpstatbot is the SEO crawler for the SEO platform Serpstat. The bot's function is to discover and index links across the internet to build and maintain Serpstat's large backlink database. It identifies itself in server logs with the user-agent string serpstatbot. A key characteristic of the bot is its comprehensive approach; it crawls links with rel="nofollow" attributes and continues to track links even on pages that return errors, ensuring a complete map of the web's link structure.

Why is serpstatbot crawling my site?

serpstatbot is visiting your website to discover and track its backlinks. It is scanning your site to identify links pointing to and from your domain. The frequency of its visits is not fixed but depends on your site's size, authority, and link profile. Sites with extensive link networks may see more frequent visits. This crawling is a standard part of how SEO tools operate and is considered an authorized web activity.

What is the purpose of serpstatbot?

The purpose of serpstatbot is to build and maintain Serpstat's backlink database, which is the foundation for its backlink analysis and competitor research tools. The data it collects is made available to Serpstat users, providing valuable insights for their marketing campaigns. For website owners, even those who do not use Serpstat, the crawling can be indirectly valuable by ensuring their sites are accurately represented in the database, which can increase visibility to Serpstat users looking for industry resources or link partners.

How do I block serpstatbot?

To prevent serpstatbot from analyzing your site, 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: serpstatbot
Disallow: /

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

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., Serpstat), 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.