# Google's Mueller: AI crawlers aren't requesting markdown

Published: 2026-08-31T10:47:26.625Z · Source: Search Engine Journal (https://www.searchenginejournal.com/googles-mueller-shares-their-experience-with-markdown-for-ai-seo/587671/)
Source date: 2026-08-31
Entities: google

Responding to a r/TechSEO question about whether markdown files ease AI bot load, Google's John Mueller said that on his own test sites, "the only crawlers who claim to accept markdown are SEO tools" — not major AI bots — per Search Engine Journal. Mueller advised site owners to log crawler accept headers and check the metrics before building markdown versions of their pages on the assumption AI crawlers want them.

Why it matters: It's data-backed pushback against markdown-for-AI as a default AEO tactic, arriving while llms.txt's spec formalizes markdown discovery and a publisher is already selling ads inside its markdown pages.

## What this answers

**Do AI crawlers request markdown versions of web pages?**

On Google's John Mueller's own test sites, no major AI bot requested markdown — only SEO tools claimed to accept it, per Search Engine Journal.

**What did Google recommend checking before building a markdown version of a site for AI crawlers?**

Mueller recommended logging the accept header on incoming requests to see whether crawlers actually ask for markdown before investing in building it, per Search Engine Journal.


Canonical: https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-08-31-google-s-mueller-ai-crawlers-aren-t-requesting-markdown/
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