What is YandexPagechecker?

YandexPagechecker is a specialized validation bot operated by Yandex, Russia's leading search engine company. It functions as a technical validator within Yandex's ecosystem of web crawlers, specifically designed to check and verify structured data markup implementations on websites. As part of Yandex's crawler infrastructure, YandexPagechecker helps ensure that websites using schema markup are properly implementing technical standards.

The bot identifies itself in server logs with the user agent string Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; YandexPagechecker/1.0; +http://yandex.com/bots), which includes both its name and a link to Yandex's documentation about their bots.

Unlike Yandex's primary web crawlers that discover and index content for search results, YandexPagechecker operates with distinctive behavioral characteristics: it typically makes low-frequency visits, focuses specifically on pages with structured data, and doesn't contribute directly to search index updates. It's designed to operate on an as-needed basis rather than following regular crawl schedules.

Why is YandexPagechecker crawling my site?

YandexPagechecker is likely visiting your site to validate and check the implementation of structured data markup, particularly microdata and schema.org implementations. If you've recently added or modified structured data on your pages (like product information, recipes, reviews, or other schema types), YandexPagechecker may visit to verify this markup is correctly implemented.

The bot typically targets pages containing structured data elements and often follows after Yandex's main crawlers have detected schema markup or changes to existing markup. Its visits are generally triggered by specific conditions rather than occurring on a regular schedule. You might notice increased activity after implementing new schema.org markup or after making significant changes to your existing structured data.

YandexPagechecker's crawling is considered authorized legitimate bot activity, especially if you're targeting visibility in Yandex search results or have implemented structured data markup on your site.

What is the purpose of YandexPagechecker?

YandexPagechecker supports Yandex's search engine by ensuring websites implement structured data correctly. This validation process helps Yandex display rich results and enhanced listings in their search results, similar to how Google uses structured data for rich snippets.

The data collected by YandexPagechecker helps Yandex understand the semantic meaning of content on your pages, allowing their search engine to better interpret and display your information. For website owners, this provides potential benefits through improved visibility in Yandex search results, particularly for Russian-language audiences or businesses targeting markets where Yandex has significant search market share.

Website owners benefit from YandexPagechecker's validation as it can indirectly highlight issues with structured data implementation that might otherwise go unnoticed. When your markup is properly validated, it increases the chances of your content appearing with enhanced features in Yandex search results.

How do I block YandexPagechecker?

YandexPagechecker respects the robots.txt protocol, making it straightforward to control its access to your website. If you wish to block it completely, you can add specific directives to your robots.txt file:

User-agent: YandexPagechecker
Disallow: /

This configuration will instruct YandexPagechecker not to crawl any part of your website. If you want to limit rather than completely block access, you can use a crawl delay directive to reduce the frequency of visits:

User-agent: YandexPagechecker
Crawl-delay: 10

This sets a 10-second delay between requests, reducing the resource impact while still allowing validation. You can also block access to specific directories while allowing access to others:

User-agent: YandexPagechecker
Disallow: /private/
Disallow: /members/
Allow: /

Keep in mind that blocking YandexPagechecker may prevent Yandex from properly validating your structured data, potentially reducing the likelihood of enhanced listings in Yandex search results. This is particularly important if you target audiences in regions where Yandex has significant market share, such as Russia and parts of Eastern Europe. If you're experiencing excessive crawling that impacts server performance, implementing a crawl delay is often preferable to blocking the bot entirely.

YandexPagechecker