# Do AI crawlers start on the homepage? | Trakkr Research

Canonical URL: https://trakkr.ai/trakkr-research/crawler-behavior/answers/do-ai-crawlers-start-on-the-homepage
Published: 2026-02-01
Last updated: 2026-02-01
Author: Mack Grenfell

Usually no, especially for GPTBot. GPTBot hits the homepage only 2.75% of the time, while ClaudeBot is much more homepage-friendly at 19.18%.

## Methodology

Built from 575,788 AI crawler visits across 84 brands and 314,501 unique URLs observed between June 11, 2025 and February 1, 2026.

## Direct Answer

Usually no. GPTBot hits the homepage only 2.75% of the time, while ClaudeBot is more likely to touch the homepage at 19.18%.

## What this means

Operators must adjust their site architecture and log analysis to account for deep entry points, ensuring critical content is accessible without relying on homepage navigation.

## Evidence table

| Metric | Value | Why it matters |
| --- | --- | --- |
| GPTBot homepage rate | 2.75% | GPTBot rarely starts on the homepage. |
| ClaudeBot homepage rate | 19.18% | ClaudeBot is much more likely to touch the homepage. |

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How often does GPTBot visit the homepage?

GPTBot rarely starts on the homepage, hitting it only 2.75% of the time.

### Is ClaudeBot more likely to crawl the homepage than GPTBot?

Yes, ClaudeBot has a homepage rate of 19.18%, making it much more likely to touch the homepage.

## What to do next

- [Optimize entry pages and internal links for the crawlers that actually show up in your logs.](https://trakkr.ai/trakkr-research/crawler-behavior/answers/do-ai-crawlers-start-on-the-homepage#next-step-1)
- [Treat crawler families differently because they do not read the same site architecture the same way.](https://trakkr.ai/trakkr-research/crawler-behavior/answers/do-ai-crawlers-start-on-the-homepage#next-step-2)
- [Use low-depth answer pages to improve the odds that a one-visit crawler still finds something citeable.](https://trakkr.ai/trakkr-research/crawler-behavior/answers/do-ai-crawlers-start-on-the-homepage#next-step-3)

## Related pages

Continue through the same study cluster.

- [are most ai crawler visits one and done](https://trakkr.ai/trakkr-research/crawler-behavior/answers/are-most-ai-crawler-visits-one-and-done) - Related answer page
- [does gptbot behave differently from claudebot](https://trakkr.ai/trakkr-research/crawler-behavior/answers/does-gptbot-behave-differently-from-claudebot) - Related answer page
- [oai searchbot is the second largest crawler in the study](https://trakkr.ai/trakkr-research/crawler-behavior/facts/oai-searchbot-is-the-second-largest-crawler-in-the-study) - Related fact page
- [crawler depth and entry tracker](https://trakkr.ai/trakkr-research/crawler-behavior/trackers/crawler-depth-and-entry-tracker) - Related tracker page

## Data And Sources

- [When AI Comes to Your Website](https://trakkr.ai/trakkr-research/crawler-behavior) - Flagship study behind this page
- [Page JSON](https://trakkr.ai/data/research-answers/crawler-behavior/answers/do-ai-crawlers-start-on-the-homepage.json) - Machine-readable companion file