---
schema_version: "newruntime-reader-dossiers-v1"
type: "reader_dossier"
slug: "dotbot"
kind: "seo"
operator: "Moz"
researched_at: "2026-10-23"
confidence: "medium"
json_url: "https://newruntime.com/readers/dotbot.json"
canonical_url: "https://newruntime.com/readers/dotbot/"
---

# DotBot

> Moz's web crawler that gathers link and site data for Moz's link index and SEO tools (UA references opensiteexplorer.org/dotbot).

## Dossier

- Kind: SEO & backlink crawlers
- Operator: Moz (https://moz.com/)
- Documentation: none found
- robots.txt tokens: DotBot
- Feeds: SEO backlink index
- Respects robots.txt: Not documented. Third-party directories say Moz states it respects robots.txt; official Moz page could not be opened.
- Verification: No published method
- Labels matched in our logs: dotbot

## Why it matters to New Runtime (our interpretation)

SEO backlink index: our pages and outbound links show up in third-party link graphs used by marketers; no direct AI-reader value.

## Observed behaviour

- Baseline 2026-10-23 (93-day window): 338 requests on 25 days; first seen 2026-09-23, last seen 2026-10-23; Regular.
- Live numbers: https://newruntime.com/bot-traffic-history.json and https://newruntime.com/crawler-journeys.json

## Sources

- https://knownagents.com/agents/moz-dotbot

Identity: A family name is what a client claims in its user agent. It is verified only when its request came from the operator's published IP ranges or passed forward-confirmed reverse DNS, as reported per family in /crawler-journeys.json. Anyone can claim any name.

All dossiers: https://newruntime.com/readers.md