Cloudflare Under Attack Mode ON. Does it affect SEO?

Hello.
I haven't been DDoS attacked yet, but looking at other competing sites, they've been in Under Attack mode for a very long time.
I tried turning it on too, but Google Search Console didn't work.
Is it bad for SEO if I turn this on?
What exactly is bad for SEO? (Competitor sites are showing up at the top of Google)

JohnOliver said:

What exactly is bad for SEO? (Competitor sites are showing up at the top of Google)

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Generally Cloudflare is able to detect Googlebots all the time, so it wont present the antibot system to them, so technically it should not affect your SEO

SirLouen said:

Generally Cloudflare is able to detect Googlebots all the time, so it wont present the antibot system to them, so technically it should not affect your SEO

Click to expand...

Yeah, but users will bounce more so even if not directly, harming the user experience will most likely affect ranking.

JohnOliver said:

Hello.
I haven't been DDoS attacked yet, but looking at other competing sites, they've been in Under Attack mode for a very long time.
I tried turning it on too, but Google Search Console didn't work.
Is it bad for SEO if I turn this on?
What exactly is bad for SEO? (Competitor sites are showing up at the top of Google)

Click to expand...

Enabling Cloudflare's "Under Attack Mode" temporarily should not have a significant negative impact on SEO, but it's important to understand how it works and its potential effects:

How "Under Attack Mode" Works:​

When activated, Cloudflare presents an interstitial page (a page with a challenge) to visitors before they can access your website. This is typically used to protect your site from DDoS attacks or other malicious traffic.

Potential SEO Impact:​

1. Temporary User Experience Disruption:
   
   • The interstitial page adds an extra step for visitors to access your site, which might slow down user experience. This could slightly affect bounce rates or page load times, both of which are factors Google considers, especially in mobile-first indexing and Core Web Vitals.
2. Search Engine Crawling:
   
   • Google's crawlers can bypass the challenge page, so the search engines will not be blocked. However, if the mode is active for an extended period, and if the challenge page causes delays, it might influence crawl budget or the frequency with which Googlebot indexes your pages.
3. Temporary Blockages:
   
   • If search engines or users are unable to access your website due to an ongoing challenge or if "Under Attack Mode" is misconfigured, it might result in a drop in rankings temporarily, especially if the site is inaccessible for a prolonged period.

Best Practices:​

• Keep it Temporary: Use "Under Attack Mode" for as short a time as necessary, only when you're actively combating attacks.
• Monitor Google Search Console: Check for any crawl errors or indexing issues during the period the mode is active.
• Ensure Smooth Access for Search Engines: If you anticipate a long-term need for the mode, ensure that search engine bots can bypass it without issue.

In summary, while "Under Attack Mode" doesn't inherently harm SEO, it's important to use it cautiously and for short durations to avoid any potential negative impacts on user experience or crawl efficiency.

roydan said:

Yeah, but users will bounce more so even if not directly, harming the user experience will most likely affect ranking.

Click to expand...

+1,
Any type of anti-bot page with a captcha is not a good option SEO-Wise,
That will get a percentage of visitors bouncing back directly, something that you should avoid even if it requires more investments to solve the problem

JohnOliver said:

Hello.
I haven't been DDoS attacked yet, but looking at other competing sites, they've been in Under Attack mode for a very long time.
I tried turning it on too, but Google Search Console didn't work.
Is it bad for SEO if I turn this on?
What exactly is bad for SEO? (Competitor sites are showing up at the top of Google)

Click to expand...

Using 'Under Attack' mode can affect SEO if it blocks Google's crawlers, so ensure they’re allowed. Competitor rankings might indicate they've properly configured it—focus on balancing security with accessibility.