Google recently updated its Google crawler documentation, specifically the Google-Extended section, to reflect a product name change from “Bard” to “Gemini.” This update ensures consistency across references within the documentation. Additionally, Google emphasized that Google Extended, despite its name change to Gemini, does not influence a website’s inclusion or ranking in Google Search.

A new statement was added to the documentation, stating, “Google-Extended does not impact a site’s inclusion or ranking in Google Search.”

It’s important to note that Google-Extended serves as a separate product token for web publishers. Its primary function is to facilitate management regarding the optimization of Gemini Apps (formerly Bard) and Vertex AI generative APIs, along with their future iterations.

Unlike some might assume, Google-Extended does not utilize a distinct HTTP request user agent string. Instead, it employs existing Google user agent strings for crawling purposes. The robots.txt user-agent token serves a control function in this context.

Furthermore, it’s worth mentioning that it does not have any influence over Google SGE (Search, Gmail, and Google Discover).

Google clarified these updates, citing the transition from Bard to Gemini Apps and feedback from publishers. This clarification aims to provide clear understanding regarding the role of Google-Extended, particularly in its relation to Google Search.

For further discussion, refer to the forum thread at X.