The truth about automated tools...

Do they really cause harm to your domain?

[yetanotheruser]

Hey, before I start barking at a client, just wanted to ask y'all..

Can automated 'Check your websites performance' tools (Backlink counters, Keyword Checkers etc.) actually damage your website?

I've just told a client off for using such an online performance-report tool, since the site he's checking shares an IP with a lot of other sites and I don't really want to jepordise their performance..

Sorry if this is an FAQ, I can't find anything particularly in search.. and would like to know how much truth there is behind all the rhumors.

Cheers :)

[ncsuk]

The site will not get banned because other sites on that IP have done nothing wrong. Plus it would be a competitor trying to get his site banned. There is no way to be sure.

What would likely happen if he was caught "emphasis on the if" is that Google/Whoever will ban his home PC's IP address from accessing the site so that he of course cannot run any sort of query at all.

If he is on dial-up then he is okay, if like me he has a static IP then your screwed.

[yetanotheruser]

I think in this particular case it's an online-tool so presumably the request to the SE's comes from the IP of the tool? - which I guess is kinda why I'm wondering where the truth lies.