Website Crawling vs Notion Sync: Which Data Source Is Right?

Two Ways to Feed Your Chatbot

When setting up an AI support chatbot, the first decision is: where does the content come from? LaunchChat supports three data sources — Notion sync, website crawling, and file uploads. Most users choose between the first two.

Each has distinct advantages. The right choice depends on where your documentation lives and how you maintain it.

Notion Sync

How It Works

LaunchChat connects to your Notion workspace via OAuth. You select which pages to include, and the system reads them through the Notion API. Content is re-synced every 30 minutes automatically.

Advantages

Real-time updates: Edit a Notion page, and the chatbot reflects the change within 30 minutes. No manual re-indexing needed.

Structured content: Notion's block-based format (headings, toggles, callouts, tables) translates well to the RAG pipeline. The chunker preserves heading hierarchy, which improves retrieval accuracy.

Collaborative editing: Your whole team can edit docs in Notion. No git workflows, no deployment pipelines. Write and publish in the same interface.

Granular control: Select exactly which pages to include. Keep internal docs (roadmaps, meeting notes) separate from support content.

No hosting required: Your docs don't need to be deployed anywhere. They live in Notion and are accessed directly via API.

Limitations

Notion-dependent: If your docs aren't in Notion, you'd need to migrate them. That's a significant effort for large documentation sets.

API rate limits: Very large workspaces (1,000+ pages) may hit Notion API rate limits during initial sync. Subsequent syncs are incremental and faster.

Formatting constraints: Some Notion block types (embedded databases, synced blocks) don't translate perfectly to plain text. The parser handles most cases, but complex layouts may lose some nuance.

Requires Notion account: Your team needs Notion (free tier works for small teams, but larger teams may need a paid plan).

Website Crawling

How It Works

You provide a URL (e.g., docs.yoursite.com), and LaunchChat crawls the pages, extracts text content, and indexes it. The crawler follows internal links to discover pages automatically.

Advantages

Works with any website: Docusaurus, GitBook, ReadMe, custom HTML, WordPress — if it's on the web, it can be crawled. No migration needed.

Already deployed: If your docs are already live on a website, there's zero setup beyond providing the URL. The content is already structured and formatted.

SEO-optimized content: Documentation that's been optimized for search engines tends to be well-structured with clear headings, which also benefits RAG retrieval.

No vendor lock-in: Your docs live on your own infrastructure. You're not dependent on Notion or any other platform.

Limitations

Manual re-crawl: Unlike Notion sync, website crawling isn't automatic. When you update your docs, you need to trigger a re-crawl. This adds a manual step to your workflow.

Crawl depth: Very large sites may take longer to crawl. The crawler needs to discover and process each page, which scales linearly with site size.

Dynamic content: JavaScript-rendered content (SPAs without SSR) may not be fully captured. The crawler works best with server-rendered or static HTML.

Authentication: If your docs are behind authentication (private docs, gated content), the crawler can't access them. Use Notion sync or file upload for private content.

Head-to-Head Comparison

When to Use Notion Sync

Choose Notion sync if:

• Your docs are already in Notion — no migration needed, just connect and go
• You update docs frequently — auto-sync means changes propagate without manual steps
• Multiple people edit docs — Notion's collaborative editing is unmatched
• You're starting from scratch — Notion is the fastest way to create structured docs
• You want private docs — content doesn't need to be publicly deployed

The typical Notion sync user is an indie maker who keeps everything in Notion — product docs, FAQ, getting started guides, API reference. They edit in Notion and the chatbot stays current automatically.

When to Use Website Crawling

Choose website crawling if:

• Your docs are already deployed — Docusaurus, GitBook, ReadMe, or custom site
• You don't use Notion — no point migrating just for the chatbot
• Your docs are public — the crawler can access everything
• You have a large documentation site — crawling handles thousands of pages
• You want platform independence — your docs stay on your infrastructure

The typical website crawling user has an established documentation site and wants to add an AI chatbot without changing their existing workflow.

Using Both Together

LaunchChat supports multiple data sources per knowledge base. You can combine Notion sync and website crawling:

• Notion for internal docs, FAQ, and frequently updated content
• Website crawl for your public documentation site
• File uploads for PDFs, guides, or legacy content

The RAG pipeline searches across all sources when answering questions. A user's question might be answered by a Notion page, a crawled web page, or an uploaded file — the retriever finds the best match regardless of source.

Practical Recommendations

Just Starting Out?

Use Notion sync. Create a few pages with your FAQ, getting started guide, and feature descriptions. Connect to LaunchChat. You can always add website crawling later.

Have Existing Docs?

Use website crawling to get started immediately. Point the crawler at your docs URL and you're live. Consider adding Notion sync later for content that changes frequently.

Growing Team?

Use both. Notion for collaborative, frequently-updated content. Website crawling for your stable, deployed documentation. This gives you the best of both worlds.

Getting Started

1. Sign up for LaunchChat (free tier)
2. Choose your data source on the Setup page
3. Connect Notion or enter your docs URL
4. Wait for indexing
5. Test and embed

Your chatbot is live, powered by your documentation — wherever it lives.

Start free — supports Notion, websites, and file uploads on all plans.