Google recently made a quiet update to the official list of IP addresses used by Googlebot as of February 4th, 2025. This update can have noticeable consequences if your security settings or CDN fail to recognize the new IPs—leading to a potential dip in crawl rates, indexing issues, and even performance slowdowns.
If you’ve noticed a drop in new users, a decline in Google’s crawl activity, or higher server response times, it’s possible that your website’s firewall or CDN settings are inadvertently blocking or limiting Googlebot’s new IPs. Read on to understand what’s changed and how you can respond to protect (and even improve) your organic visibility.
1. What Changed?
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Google’s Updated IP Ranges:
Google periodically updates the IP addresses used by Googlebot. As of February 4th, 2025, these ranges have changed again. The official list is publicly available at https://www.gstatic.com/ipranges/goog.json. -
Why It Matters:
Certain CDNs and web application firewalls may automatically block or rate-limit unfamiliar IP ranges if they aren’t recognized or whitelisted. When Googlebot starts using IP addresses that aren’t yet marked as valid, it can lead to fewer pages being crawled, indexing delays, and performance issues on your site.
2. The Impact on Your Website
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Reduced Crawl Rate
If Googlebot’s new IPs are blocked or throttled, fewer URLs may be crawled, harming your site’s indexing and visibility. This can manifest as slower updates of fresh content in search results. -
Higher Server Response Times
Inconsistent firewall rules can increase load on your servers, as requests might be repeatedly tried or partially served. Over time, site performance may degrade, affecting both user experience and crawl efficiency. -
Traffic Drops
Lower crawl frequency or incomplete indexing can lead to a drop in organic traffic. If you’re seeing fewer new users from search engines, your security settings and CDN configuration might need immediate attention.
3. How to Check if You’re Affected
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Review Server and CDN Logs
Look for blocked or rate-limited requests in your logs. If you identify patterns of denial or throttling for specific IPs that match Google’s new ranges, you may have found the source of your crawling issues. -
Compare IPs to Google’s Updated List
Use the JSON file provided by Google: https://www.gstatic.com/ipranges/goog.json. Check if any new IP addresses are systematically blocked.
(Tip: If you don’t have an older copy, you can retrieve past snapshots via the Wayback Machine or other archival services.) -
Use Automatic Verification Solutions
Google provides detailed instructions and automatic solutions for verifying real Googlebot activity: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/verifying-googlebot#use-automatic-solutions. Setting these up can help you confirm legitimate bots quickly and accurately.
4. Steps to Resolve the Issue
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Contact Your CDN or WAF Provider
- Ask if they have updated their allowlists or rules to accommodate Google’s new IPs.
- If you’re using a CDN, ensure it’s configured to let the newly updated Googlebot IPs pass through without throttling.
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Manually Verify and Whitelist
- If your provider hasn’t yet updated, you may need to manually whitelist these IPs in your firewall.
- Re-check logs and server response codes to confirm that Googlebot requests are indeed recognized and allowed.
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Automate IP Range Monitoring
- Consider setting up an automated system (e.g., using tools like Little Warden, Testomato, or even a simple compare plugin in your text editor) to monitor Google’s JSON file for changes.
- Schedule regular checks—weekly, monthly, or quarterly—so that you’re never caught off-guard by a silent IP update again.
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Keep an Eye on Performance Metrics
- Monitor metrics in Google Search Console (crawl stats, indexing reports) and your analytics platform.
- If you notice new anomalies—like higher response times on certain URLs—investigate quickly before issues escalate.
5. Other Potential Causes of Crawl or Performance Issues
While updated Googlebot IPs can explain many crawl-related problems, remember that other factors may also be at play:
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Caching Misconfiguration
Improperly set or expired caching policies can overload servers, affecting performance and crawl consistency. -
Server Migrations
DNS or configuration hiccups post-migration can cause crawling or indexing interruptions. -
General Hosting or Network Issues
Underpowered hosting plans or intermittent network failures can slow response times and reduce Google’s crawl rate over time.
