Googlebot is the name used for Google’s crawlers that discover and fetch pages for Google Search and related services. Site owners can review crawl activity in server logs and Search Console, but a request that merely claims to be Googlebot should not automatically be trusted.
Verifying crawler requests
Google documents a verification process for requests claiming to come from Google crawlers. Depending on the method, this can involve checking the source IP against published ranges or performing a reverse DNS lookup followed by a forward lookup. Follow Google’s current instructions rather than relying only on the user-agent string, which any client can set.
Googlebot’s behavior is separate from the schedule of a crawler you operate. A site can influence crawling through availability, internal links, and supported controls, but it does not directly set Google’s internal crawl schedule. If Google’s requests cause a critical load problem, use Google’s documented crawl-rate guidance.
Do not use the Googlebot name for unrelated automated requests. Accurate identification helps site operators distinguish legitimate crawler traffic from other clients.
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