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User-agent – what is it and what is it used for?

Wiktoria Czerw
Content Editor
7 minutes of reading
User-agent – what is it and what is it used for?
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Are you curious about how to gain a deeper understanding of your website or online store visitors? By using the user-agent feature, you can gather insightful data that will allow you to personalize your offerings and implement effective strategies. But what exactly is a user-agent?

Contents:

What is a user-agent?

A user-agent is a code within an HTTP header that provides detailed information about the device, operating system, and browser used to access your website.
For instance, a user-agent code for a visitor using Windows 11 and Google Chrome could look like this:
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/90.0.4430.93 Safari/537.36.
Each component of the code serves a specific purpose. Let’s break it down:

  • Mozilla/5.0: General identifier indicating a web browser
  • (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64): Information about the operating system (Windows 10, 64-bit)
  • AppleWebKit/537.36: Web page rendering engine used by Chrome
  • (KHTML, like Gecko): Information that Chrome is based on the Gecko engine, used by browsers like Firefox
  • Chrome/90.0.4430.93: Version of the Chrome browser
  • Safari/537.36: Version of the Safari browser used by Chrome to render some web page elements.

Even if the code refers to the Google Chrome browser, the product Mozilla will always appear at the beginning of the code.

User-agent – what is it used for?

User-agent is critical to website functionality, allowing for tailored displays based on users’ specific browsers and operating systems. By implementing a user-agent, your website can deliver an engaging and user-friendly experience across a wide range of devices and tools.
Here are some key applications of user-agent that can benefit your website’s performance:

  1. Customize pages based on the user’s web browser. With user-agent, your website can optimize content for various browsers, enhancing its usability and accessibility. This feature may prompt users to upgrade their browsers for better performance.
  2. Tailor content for various operating systems. Mobile users will appreciate how user-agent enables websites to display correctly on small screens, making them more readable and user-friendly.
  3. Obtain valuable data on user systems and browsers. User-agent collects user information in real-time, which can help you identify trends and improve your website’s performance.
  4. Identify indexing bots. Search engine bots also use user-agent codes, allowing you to monitor and improve your site’s indexing process.

Bots and users are treated differently by web servers. To ensure effective indexing, bots may need to go through mandatory registration or consent pages. With user-agent, you can enjoy an optimized website that caters to all users, enhancing their overall experience.

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Types of user-agents

In the SEO world, user-agents are essential to understanding your users and optimizing your website for search engines. User-agent codes vary depending on the browser or operating system being used, and it is crucial to differentiate between them to ensure that you are targeting the right audience. Gaining familiarity with the examples provided below can help you verify your users more accurately and tailor your marketing strategies to reach them more effectively.
Mozilla Firefox:
Mozilla / 5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64; rv: 88.0) Gecko / 20100101 Firefox / 88.0
Google Chrome:
Mozilla / 5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit / 537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome / 90.0.4430.93 Safari/537.36
Safari:
Mozilla / 5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 11_2_1) AppleWebKit / 537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome / 88.0.4324.192 Safari/537.36
Opera:
Mozilla / 5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit / 537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome / 90.0.4430.93 Safari / 537.36 OPR / 76.0.4017.177
Microsoft Edge:
Mozilla / 5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit / 537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome / 90.0.4430.93 Safari / 537.36 Edg / 90.0.818.42
Vivaldi:
Mozilla / 5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit / 537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome / 90.0.4430.93 Safari/537.36 Vivaldi/3.8.2259.42
It’s also important to identify the codes of indexing robots. This way, you can learn which search engines to optimize your website for. Below are some examples of user-agents for bots.
Googlebot:
Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; Googlebot/2.1; +http://www.google.com/bot.html)
Description of individual elements:

  • Mozilla/5.0: a general browser identifier used by search engine robots
  • compatible: information that the robot is compatible with a given website
  • Googlebot/2.1: indicates that it is a Google search engine robot using version 2.1
  • +http://www.google.com/bot.html: additional information about the robot, including the URL address of the Google website containing information about Google robots

Yahoobot:
Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; Yahoo! Slurp; http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/ysearch/slurp)
Description of individual elements:

  • Mozilla/5.0: a general browser identifier used by search engine robots
  • compatible: information that the robot is compatible with a given website
  • Yahoo! Slurp: indicates that it is a Yahoo search engine robot using a “spider method” for indexing web pages
  • http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/ysearch/slurp: additional information about the robot, including the URL address of the website that includes information about Yahoo robots.

Bingbot:
Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; bingbot/2.0; +http://www.bing.com/bingbot.htm)
Description of individual elements:

  • Mozilla/5.0: a general browser identifier used by search engine robots
  • compatible: information that the robot is compatible with a given website
  • bingbot/2.0: robot name indicating that it’s a Bing search engine bot that’s using version 2.0.
  • +http://www.bing.com/bingbot.htm: additional information about the bot, including the web page URL containing information about Bing bots.

When is it worth changing the user-agent?

Are you aware that you have the power to change your user-agent? This simple action can prove to be extremely helpful in various situations. Are you wondering when it’s worth changing your user-agent? Here are a few instances:

Website development

If you are in the process of developing a website, changing your user-agent can be a time-saver. It allows you to check your site’s appearance and functionality on different browsers all in one go. Although you can manually access your site through different browsers, changing your user-agent is a faster and more efficient way to do it.

SEO analysis

By selecting the Google robot code, changing your user-agent lets you analyze your website’s SEO performance. It enables you to examine how page-scanning bots view your site. This way, you can also detect any significant elements that are not visible to the bots.

Mobile device emulation

Emulating a mobile device by adjusting your user-agent can be a game-changer. It allows you to test your website’s appearance and operation on smartphones and tablets. You can spot any discrepancies and make necessary changes to ensure a seamless User Experience.

Browser limitations

There are times when a website isn’t compatible with a certain browser version, and the system can block access to the site. Changing your user-agent can help you overcome these limitations and gain access to the website.

Privacy protection

Your user-agent reveals information about your device and operating system to various services. Modifying the code can protect your privacy and keep your data secure. Though the information disclosed by the user-agent is not as accurate as your IP address, it’s still worth hiding it to some extent.

How to change user-agent?

Are you concerned about your online privacy? You already know that changing your user-agent can help you keep your data hidden. But how exactly can you do it? Follow the easy steps below to change your user-agent on Chrome, Opera, or Microsoft Edge, all of which use the same engine.

  1. Right-click on an empty area of the webpage and select the Inspect option.
  2. From the displayed panel, choose More tools and then click on Developer tools.

chrome browser website analysis on the example of zara com_


3. In the new panel, select the Console tab and locate the Network conditions tab in the new panel.
4. Uncheck the box for automatic user-agent selection and select one of the available options.

chrome browser user agent change

Summary

User-agent is a critical component of web analytics that should not be overlooked. It provides valuable information on the devices and operating systems, allowing you to tailor your content to their preferences. By leveraging the user-agent feature, you can also test your website’s compatibility across different browsers and enhance the security of your connection.
Analyzing user-agents is a small yet impactful way to optimize your website. Don’t underestimate the power of user-agent – make it a top priority in your web analytics and optimization efforts!

Wiktoria Czerw
Content Editor

Wiktoria is a language and editorial enthusiast whose passion for content drives her to create unique, SEO-optimized texts. She has always been intrigued by linguistics, and she now applies this passion to her profession by ensuring every sentence is accurate and logical. Wiktoria is known for her precision and timeliness – every detail matters to her, and she strives to perfect the content in every possible way.

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