# Netlify AI bot tracking

Trakkr installs a Netlify Edge Function that records matching crawler requests before browser analytics would run. Upstream blocks remain outside its view.

[Explore crawler monitoring](/content/ai-crawler-monitoring/index.html) [Read crawler docs](/content/learn/docs/features/traffic/crawlers/index.html)

## Workflow setup

### Prerequisites

- A Netlify site and permission to authorize the Trakkr OAuth integration and deploy the generated Edge Function.
- A clear list of production paths you want to verify after the function deploys.
- A Trakkr workspace tracking crawler behavior, AI traffic, or visibility outcomes.

### Setup steps

1. **Authorize the Netlify site**  
   Connect the site through Trakkr OAuth and select the production site that should receive crawler monitoring.

2. **Deploy the generated Edge Function**  
   Use the generated one-file function to classify matching request signatures and send bounded event fields to Trakkr.

3. **Verify the live delivery path**  
   Confirm the source check, then record a real matching request through the deployed function. A synthetic row only proves the dashboard path.

4. **Segment important paths**  
   Track docs, product pages, comparisons, pricing, and llms.txt separately so crawler volume does not hide missing high-intent pages.

5. **Send findings into Trakkr reports**  
   Use Trakkr to compare bot access with visibility, AI traffic, citations, and action status for the same pages.

## What to measure

### Signals to track

| Metric                        | Why it matters                                                                 | Cadence |
|-------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------|
| AI-agent requests             | Shows server-side demand from AI systems, not just browser-visible sessions.   | Weekly  |
| Top crawled paths             | Reveals which Netlify routes AI agents actually request.                       | Weekly  |
| Top pages and referrers       | Adds traffic context around pages that receive both human visits and AI-related requests. | Monthly |
| Crawler signal versus share of voice | Separates access problems from content and authority problems.                 | Monthly |

## How Trakkr fits

### Product workflow

Trakkr turns Netlify Edge Function events into a page-level request, citation, and referral comparison that non-engineers can use.

Crawler and traffic signals can be tied to llms.txt publishing, content actions, and stakeholder summaries.

## Useful Trakkr links

[AI search traffic index](/content/ai-search-traffic/index.html) [AI crawler monitoring](/content/ai-crawler-monitoring/index.html) [AI traffic data](/content/data/ai-traffic/index.html) [llms.txt generator](/content/free-tools/llms-txt-generator/index.html) [Crawler behavior research](/content/trakkr-research/crawler-behavior/index.html)

## Checks and sources

### Common mistakes

- Relying only on client-side analytics for bot and crawler questions.
- Letting aggregate bot volume hide the pages AI systems should crawl.
- Treating user-agent categories as perfect identity instead of a practical monitoring layer.

## Official sources used

[Netlify Edge Functions](https://docs.netlify.com/build/edge-functions/overview/) [Netlify Web Analytics](https://docs.netlify.com/manage/monitoring/web-analytics/overview/)

## FAQ

### Quick answers

**Can Netlify Web Analytics track AI bots?**  
Web Analytics is useful for human traffic context. Trakkr crawler monitoring uses the generated Edge Function for matching request evidence.

**Why use server logs for AI crawler tracking?**  
Crawler requests may never execute browser analytics. An edge request function can record matching activity before client-side code runs.

**How does Trakkr fit with Netlify?**  
Trakkr compares Netlify crawler request signals with separately observed prompts, citations, referral traffic, reports, and actions.

## Next workflows

### Related platform pages

- **Cloudflare AI crawler monitoring**  
  Turn Cloudflare AI Crawl Control into an AI visibility workflow: see which AI services reach your site, which paths they request, and whether crawler access lines up with Trakkr visibility changes.  
  [Open workflow](/content/integrations/cloudflare-ai-crawler-monitoring/index.html)

- **Vercel AI crawler logs**  
  Use a Trakkr project Log Drain for request delivery. Treat Vercel Bot Management and its AI-bot ruleset as a separate control surface for log or deny policy.  
  [Open workflow](/content/integrations/vercel-ai-crawler-logs/index.html)

- **GA4 AI search attribution**  
  GA4 now recognizes AI Assistant traffic for supported referrers. Use that signal carefully, then connect it to Trakkr prompts, citations, and reports.  
  [Open workflow](/content/integrations/ga4-ai-search-attribution/index.html)

## Build a server-side AI bot baseline

Start with Netlify logs and categories, then use Trakkr to explain which crawler patterns matter for visibility.

[Explore crawler monitoring](/content/ai-crawler-monitoring/index.html) [Read crawler docs](/content/learn/docs/features/traffic/crawlers/index.html)