Can Googlebot go through Paywalls?

[mdorvill]

So my website has a paywall that allows users that are IP Authenticated to look at content where unauthorized users don't have access to but this is hurting my SEO (since googlebot doesn't go past the paywall either). Is there any way that I could ask google to go through and crawl the entire site?

[AlanMosley]

Yes you can, but thsast would be cloaking, maybe they allow clocking for this reason, i dont know.

i can show you a site that sheds some light.

The Australian Newspapper has a pay wall, to get around it, all you have to do is search fopr the headline in google and then click on the link you will get directy to the full article, does not work with bing though.

give it a try

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/

[mdorvill]

You see, the site is a HUGE content site that gains most of its keyword conversions through deep links on the site (links to the articles) so I fear that cloaking will simply allow people to have more access to the site without paying. Is there another way other than cloaking?

[AlanMosley]

I am not saying that cloaking is the answer, or that is why you can get aound the paywall in the the australian site, just interesting how it happens.

by cloaking, i mean if you let the google ip though, but not cache, you shyould get the indexing you want. Maybe you can show just a snippet on the page for those not authenticated so that you get you tile and a description indexed.