Twitterbot

What is Twitterbot?

Twitterbot (or X bot) is a software bot that controls a Twitter/X account through the Twitter API. Operated by Twitter (now X.), Twitterbots can autonomously perform actions such as tweeting, retweeting, liking, following, unfollowing, or direct messaging other accounts. Twitter has maintained a set of automation rules that govern proper and improper uses of these bots since the platform's early days.

When accessing websites, a Twitterbot typically identifies itself with the user agent string Twitterbot/1.0 in server logs. These bots have been part of Twitter's ecosystem since its early days, though the platform began officially labeling bot accounts in February 2022 after a testing period.

Twitterbots are classified as social bots rather than traditional web crawlers. They operate by connecting to Twitter's API and performing programmed actions based on specific triggers or schedules. Legitimate Twitterbots serve various purposes including broadcasting helpful information, automatically generating creative content, and responding to users via direct messages.

In June 2023, Twitter (X) implemented significant changes to its API pricing, charging $100 per month for basic access, which resulted in many entertainment and utility bots being suspended or shut down.

Why is Twitterbot crawling my site?

If you notice Twitterbot crawling your website, it's likely retrieving information about content that has been shared on Twitter. When users share links to your site on Twitter, Twitterbot may visit to collect metadata such as titles, descriptions, and images to create rich previews in tweets.

Twitterbot typically visits websites reactively—when a user shares a link to your content or when Twitter needs to update its cached information about previously shared links. The frequency of visits depends entirely on how often your content is shared on the platform.

This crawling is considered authorized as it helps Twitter display accurate and up-to-date information about your content when users share it. The bot respects standard web protocols and identifies itself clearly through its user agent string.

What is the purpose of Twitterbot?

Twitterbot serves several key functions within Twitter's ecosystem. Its primary purpose when crawling websites is to generate accurate and visually appealing preview cards when users share links on the platform. These preview cards include titles, descriptions, and images that make shared content more engaging and informative.

The data collected by Twitterbot is used to enhance the user experience on Twitter by providing context for shared links. This benefits both Twitter users and website owners—users get rich previews of content before clicking, while website owners potentially receive more engagement when their content is shared with appealing previews.

For website owners, Twitterbot's crawling can lead to increased visibility and traffic when content is shared on the platform. The bot helps ensure that your content is represented accurately and attractively when users share links to your site.

How do I block Twitterbot?

Twitterbot respects the robots.txt standard, making it relatively straightforward to control its access to your site. If you wish to block Twitterbot from crawling your entire site, you can add the following directives to your robots.txt file:

User-agent: Twitterbot
Disallow: /

If you only want to block Twitterbot from specific sections of your site, you can use more targeted directives:

User-agent: Twitterbot
Disallow: /private-section/
Disallow: /unfinished-content/

Keep in mind that blocking Twitterbot has consequences. When users share links to your content on Twitter, the platform won't be able to generate rich preview cards with images and descriptions. This could make your content less appealing and potentially reduce engagement and click-through rates from Twitter.

A more balanced approach might be to use the robots.txt file to block Twitterbot from specific areas of your site while allowing it to access content you want to be shared on social media. You can also use Twitter Card meta tags on your pages to control exactly what information appears when your content is shared, rather than blocking the bot entirely.