Critical blocker: definition and formula

A failed check that means an agent can’t read the store at all, or reads it wrongly: for example, a hard refusal to bots, products only visible with JavaScript, no Product data on the product page, or a price mismatch. It caps the score.

one blocker → score ≤ 45 · two or more → score ≤ 39

In score model v2.6, a failure in one of these checks is a critical blocker (for the robots.txt check, only a block on the agents named on its page):

• Search and user agents allowed (robots.txt)
• Is bot protection open to agents?
• Product name and price readable without JavaScript
• Product structured data (schema.org)
• Price consistency

A failed transaction gate (Add-to-cart button in the initial HTML or Buying without an account) is not a critical blocker, but it caps the score at 60 when no access or data gate failed; the lowest cap wins.

A blocker caps the score, it doesn’t subtract from it: one blocker means at most 45, two or more at most 39. If the uncapped score is already lower, the cap changes nothing.

Blockers come first in the Priority order order, a store with any blocker can’t be “agent-ready” whatever its score (Readiness level), and the simulated agent in the free result eliminates a store with a blocker.

• How many assistants are affected: a robots.txt block counts as critical only for the agents named on the Search and user agents allowed (robots.txt) page.
• Softer blocks: a security layer’s challenge page, a CAPTCHA for example, is scored as a possible block that passes partly, and a rate limit as “couldn’t check”; neither is a blocker (Is bot protection open to agents?).
• Anything about checkout in the free test: guest checkout can’t be checked from outside, so it never triggers the transaction cap there; the deep audit measures it with a real browser.
• Other product pages: product data and price checks are judged on the one product page we read.

• Fixing a blocker lifts its cap: from two blockers to one raises the limit from 39 to 45, and fixing the last one removes it.
• Each check in the list above has a page with what passes and how to fix it; there are also fix guides by shop platform.
• Running the free test again after a fix: the cap is recomputed from the new results.

See also: robots.txt: when a block is critical

Readiness score (free test): How 27 checks on your public pages become one number from 0 to 100.

• Agent readiness score
• Check result and credit
• Couldn’t check
• Not applicable
• Insufficient measurement
• Readiness level
• Category score
• Priority order
• Potential score

Run the free test →All terms in the glossary →