msnbot
What is msnbot?
About
msnbot is a search engine crawler operated by Microsoft. It's not currently known to be artificially intelligent or AI-related. If you think that's incorrect or can provide more detail about its purpose, please contact us. Set up Dark Visitors agent analytics to see how often msnbot visits your website.
Detail
| Operator | Microsoft |
| Documentation | http://search.msn.com/msnbot.htm |
Type
Expected Behavior
Search engine crawlers do not adhere to a fixed visitation schedule for websites. The frequency of visits varies widely based on several factors, including popularity, the rate at which its content is updated, and the website's overall trustworthiness. Websites with fresh, high-quality content tend to be crawled more frequently, while less active or less reputable sites may be visited less often.
Analytics
Visits to Your Website
Half of your traffic probably comes from artificial agents, and there are more of them every day. Track their activity with agent analytics.
Set Up Agent AnalyticsOther Websites
Robots.txt
Should I Block msnbot?
Probably not. Search engine crawlers power search engines, which are a useful way for users to discover your website. In fact, blocking search engine crawlers could severely reduce your traffic.
How Do I Block msnbot?
You can block msnbot or limit its access by setting user agent token rules in your website's robots.txt. Set up Dark Visitors agent analytics to check whether it's actually following them.
| User Agent Token | Description |
|---|---|
msnbot |
Should match instances of msnbot |
# robots.txt
# This should block msnbot
User-agent: msnbot
Disallow: /
Recommended Solution
Instead of doing this manually, use automatic robots.txt to keep your rules updated with the latest AI scrapers, crawlers, and assistants automatically.
Set Up Automatic Robots.txt