What is SemrushBot-SWA? AI crawler guide

SemrushBot-SWA by Semrush: Semrush crawler for SEO Writing Assistant URL checks. Check its reported user-agent, robots.txt behavior, source, and verification guidance.

Semrush crawler for SEO Writing Assistant URL checks.

What is SemrushBot-SWA?

SemrushBot-SWA is a web crawler operated by Semrush. It belongs to the SEO category and is specifically designed to support the Semrush SEO Writing Assistant. When a user runs the SEO Writing Assistant, this bot checks whether the target URL is accessible. It honors the robots.txt standard, meaning it respects any directives set for its user-agent token. The crawler identifies itself with the user-agent token SemrushBot-SWA. Its sole purpose is to verify URL availability for the writing assistant tool, not to index content for search or perform broad site audits.

What it's for

For a site owner, SemrushBot-SWA enables the Semrush SEO Writing Assistant to confirm that a URL is reachable. If you use or allow your content to be analyzed by this tool, the bot's access ensures the assistant can function correctly. Blocking it may prevent the assistant from checking your pages, which could limit the tool's usefulness for anyone optimizing content on your site.

Whether to allow SemrushBot-SWA is a policy call. Either way, check which AI platforms actually send you human visitors before assuming crawl volume equals value.

How to handle SemrushBot-SWA

To control SemrushBot-SWA, add a rule in your robots.txt file targeting its user-agent token. Since it honors robots.txt, a disallow directive will stop it from crawling specified paths. If you want the SEO Writing Assistant to work with your URLs, allow the bot to access those pages. The page will render the exact snippet separately.

robots.txt rule

User-agent: SemrushBot-SWA Disallow: /

Blocking cost

Blocking SemrushBot-SWA can prevent the Semrush SEO Writing Assistant from checking whether your URL is accessible, which may limit the tool's functionality for your content.

Examples

A content writer uses the Semrush SEO Writing Assistant to optimize a blog post. SemrushBot-SWA visits the post's URL to verify it is accessible, allowing the tool to proceed with analysis.
A site owner adds a robots.txt disallow rule for SemrushBot-SWA. The next time someone tries to use the SEO Writing Assistant on a page from that site, the bot cannot check the URL, and the tool may report an accessibility issue.
An e-commerce site allows SemrushBot-SWA in robots.txt. When a marketer runs the SEO Writing Assistant on a product page, the bot confirms the page is reachable, and the assistant provides optimization suggestions.

Related bots

SemrushBot-OCOB: Another Semrush SEO crawler to compare.
DuckAssistBot: Shares crawler-policy context with SemrushBot-SWA.
Amzn-SearchBot: Shares crawler-policy context with SemrushBot-SWA.
Claude-User: Shares crawler-policy context with SemrushBot-SWA.
GoogleOther: Shares crawler-policy context with SemrushBot-SWA.
GoogleOther-Image: Shares crawler-policy context with SemrushBot-SWA.
ImagesiftBot: Shares crawler-policy context with SemrushBot-SWA.
Kagibot: Shares crawler-policy context with SemrushBot-SWA.
PetalBot: Shares crawler-policy context with SemrushBot-SWA.
Robots.txt: Robots.txt is the control file used to allow or block SemrushBot-SWA.
Crawling: SemrushBot-SWA is a concrete crawler example for this concept.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does SemrushBot-SWA do?

SemrushBot-SWA is a crawler that checks whether a URL is accessible for the Semrush SEO Writing Assistant. It does not index pages or perform other SEO audits.

Does SemrushBot-SWA obey robots.txt?

Yes, SemrushBot-SWA honors robots.txt directives. You can control its access by setting rules for the user-agent token SemrushBot-SWA.

Will blocking SemrushBot-SWA affect my search rankings?

Blocking SemrushBot-SWA does not directly impact search rankings, as it is not a search engine crawler. However, it may prevent the SEO Writing Assistant from checking your URLs.

How can I allow SemrushBot-SWA to access my site?

To allow SemrushBot-SWA, ensure your robots.txt file does not disallow its user-agent token for the paths you want it to check. If no rule exists, it is allowed by default.

Is SemrushBot-SWA related to other Semrush bots?

SemrushBot-SWA is a distinct crawler from other Semrush bots. It is used exclusively for the SEO Writing Assistant URL checks, while other Semrush bots may handle different tasks.

Data & Sources

Semrush documentation - Primary source for SemrushBot-SWA crawler details.