A new AI visibility study and audit by Stradiji finds that most websites effectively close their doors to large language models, blocking the crawlers that power generative search answers.

The audit examined how prepared websites are for visibility within LLM-based search and found that the majority restrict or deny access to AI systems. For publishers and merchants, that means their content is unlikely to surface when users ask ChatGPT-style tools for recommendations, definitions or product answers.

What does the finding mean for site owners?

If a site blocks AI crawlers — through robots.txt directives, server rules or CDN settings — it forfeits any chance of being cited in AI-generated responses. The Stradiji audit frames this as a strategic choice, not a technical accident: many sites actively decide whether to welcome or exclude LLM bots.

The report's core takeaway is direct: most audited sites are not open to LLMs, and therefore have no AI visibility strategy in place.

Why does AI visibility matter now?

Generative engines increasingly act as an alternative entry point to the web. A site that is invisible to LLMs misses referral traffic, brand mentions and citations inside AI answers. An audit like Stradiji's measures exactly that exposure gap.

Site operators should review which AI crawlers they allow, verify robots.txt rules, and track whether their content appears in LLM responses. The next step to monitor: whether blocking rates shift as more publishers formalize AI licensing and crawling policies.