DataForSEO is a bot in the SEO crawlers category, operated by DataForSEO.
DataForSEO is using RSiteAuditor to scan websites for critical on-site SEO errors and provides aggregated data in a structured form to its customer through a RESTful API.
SEO crawlers map links, keywords and technical issues for SEO tools and backlink databases. They help the tool's customers, often your competitors, rather than you. Rate limit or block the ones you do not use.
DataForSEO identifies itself with this user agent string:
Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; RSiteAuditor)Anyone can copy a user agent string. Transfon Security also checks where each request comes from, so a request that claims to be a known crawler but comes from the wrong network is treated as a fake, not as the real crawler.
We have not confirmed whether DataForSEO follows robots.txt. Add a rule, then check your logs to see that it stopped. robots.txt is a plain text file at the root of your domain, such as https://example.com/robots.txt.
User-agent: RSiteAuditor Disallow: /
User-agent: RSiteAuditor Disallow: /private/ Disallow: /search
User-agent: RSiteAuditor Allow: /blog/ Disallow: /
User-agent: RSiteAuditor Allow: / User-agent: * Disallow: /
User-agent: RSiteAuditor group, DataForSEO ignores your User-agent: * rules, so repeat any that should still apply.RSiteAuditor from DataForSEO's user agent; check DataForSEO's own documentation if it publishes a different robots.txt name.Treat robots.txt as a statement of your policy, and enforce it where requests arrive.
DataForSEO works for an SEO tool's customers, often your competitors. It adds server load without readers, so rate limit or block it unless you use the tool.
Transfon Security for publishersSEO crawlers map landing pages and links for competitor research. Keep DataForSEO's visits out of campaign data.
Transfon Security for advertisersDataForSEO can map your catalogue, prices and site structure for competitors. Block it unless you use the tool yourself.
Transfon Security for e-commerceAllow DataForSEO only if your team uses the tool; otherwise rate limit it on docs and marketing pages.
Transfon Security for SaaS and APIsrobots.txt is a request, not an enforcement. Transfon Security shows DataForSEO by name in the Top Bots report, so you can see how often it visits and which pages it reads. Block or allow it with a User Agent rule, or slow it down with a rate limit decision rule.
Transfon Security
DataForSEO is a bot in the SEO crawlers category, operated by DataForSEO. DataForSEO is using RSiteAuditor to scan websites for critical on-site SEO errors and provides aggregated data in a structured form to its customer through a RESTful API.
We have not confirmed whether DataForSEO follows robots.txt. Add a robots.txt rule, then check your logs to see that it stopped, and block it by user agent if it did not.
Add "User-agent: RSiteAuditor" followed by "Disallow: /" to the robots.txt file at the root of your site. To enforce it, block requests whose user agent contains "RSiteAuditor" at your WAF. In Transfon Security that is one User Agent block rule.
No. robots.txt is voluntary, so DataForSEO may not follow it, and anyone can send DataForSEO's user agent, so a fake DataForSEO ignores your rule. Enforce the rule where requests arrive, at your WAF, and check the source network.
SEO crawlers map links, keywords and technical issues for SEO tools and backlink databases. They help the tool's customers, often your competitors, rather than you. Rate limit or block the ones you do not use.
Transfon Security identifies every bot in this directory in your traffic reports, flags fake search crawlers, and lets you allow, block or rate limit each bot.
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