How to Stop Bot Traffic on Website and Reduce Economic Impact

Bot traffic can be a significant economic burden on websites, with some estimates suggesting that it can account for up to 70% of total website traffic.

According to a study, the average website loses around $3,000 per month due to bot traffic.

Bot traffic can be especially damaging to e-commerce sites, where it can lead to wasted resources and lost sales. This is because bots can mimic human behavior, making it difficult to distinguish between legitimate and fake traffic.

To put this into perspective, a single bot can make up to 1,000 requests per minute, causing significant strain on a website's infrastructure.

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Investigating traffic spikes is crucial to identifying potential bot activity. One unexplained traffic spike can be a sign of bad bot activity.

A clear, specific source for a traffic spike is essential, and without it, you may be dealing with bots.

Unexplained traffic spikes can be a red flag, so be sure to investigate each one thoroughly.

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Bot traffic refers to the traffic generated by automated software programs, also known as bots, that mimic human behavior on the internet.

Bots can be either good or bad, and they can be used for a variety of purposes such as web scraping, data collection, or even online marketing.

A common type of bot traffic is known as "good" bot traffic, which is generated by search engine crawlers that help index websites and make them searchable online.

Good bots can make up a significant portion of website traffic, typically between 10% to 30%.

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A spike in traffic from an unexpected location can be a red flag for bot activity. This can happen when your website gets visits from a large number of users from a specific location that you don't usually do business in.

If you notice a sudden increase in users from a particular region, country, city or other location, it may be a sign of bots. This can be especially true if the traffic is from a location where your website is not typically popular.

You may also notice that the traffic is not fluent in the native language of your website, which can be another indication of bots. For example, if your website is in English and you suddenly get a lot of traffic from a non-English speaking country, it could be a sign of bad bot activity.

Investigating the source of the traffic can help you determine if it's legitimate or not. If you can't pinpoint the reason for the sudden traffic spike, it may be due to bots, especially if the traffic is from an unexpected location.

By being aware of these signs, you can easily solve abuse issues from bots and automated behavior.

Browser fingerprinting is a technique used by websites to gather information about a computing device for identification purposes.

Browser consistency involves checking the presence of specific features that should or should not be in a browser, which can be done by executing certain JavaScript requests.

Behavioral inconsistencies are analyzed by looking at nonlinear mouse movements, rapid button and mouse clicks, repetitive patterns, average page time, average requests per page, and similar bot behavior.

CAPTCHAs are a popular anti-bot measure that presents a challenge-response type of test, often asking you to fill in correct codes or identify objects in pictures.

Websites have created various bot detection techniques to detect bots and prevent malicious bot traffic.

Here are some of the common bot detection techniques:

These techniques can help identify bot-like behavior and block them from further crawling.

Bots drive nearly 40% of internet traffic in 2022, with bad bots responsible for most of that traffic. This means that a significant portion of the traffic on your website could be coming from bots.

To identify bot traffic, publishers can use various methods, including browser fingerprinting, browser consistency, and behavioral inconsistencies. Browser fingerprinting gathers information about a computing device for identification purposes, while browser consistency checks for specific features that should or should not be in a browser.

Here are some common signs of bot traffic:

By recognizing these signs, you can take steps to mitigate bot traffic and protect your website from malicious bots.

Detecting bot traffic has become a complex task, and it's getting harder by the day. The evolution of bots over the years has made it challenging for us to distinguish between bot and human behavior online.

There are four different generations of bots, each with its unique characteristics. Here's a breakdown of the different generations:

The fourth generation of bots requires advanced methods, often involving the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms (ML), to detect. Basic bot detection technologies are no longer sufficient to catch these sophisticated bots.

Identifying bot traffic is a complex task, but there are several ways to detect it. One way is through browser fingerprinting, which involves gathering information about a computing device for identification purposes, such as operating system, language, plugins, fonts, hardware, etc.

Browser consistency is another method, where websites check for the presence of specific features that should or should not be in a browser. This can be done by executing certain JavaScript requests.

Behavioral inconsistencies can also indicate bot traffic, including nonlinear mouse movements, rapid button and mouse clicks, repetitive patterns, average page time, average requests per page, and similar bot behavior.

Some websites use CAPTCHAs, a challenge-response type of test that asks users to fill in correct codes or identify objects in pictures, to prevent bot traffic.

Here are some common signs of bot traffic:

These signs can indicate that your website is being targeted by bots.

Blocking bot traffic on your website is a crucial step in protecting your online presence. Disallowing access from known hosting providers and proxy services can discourage less sophisticated attackers from targeting your site.

Blocking these data centers can make a significant difference in preventing bot traffic. Many hosting and proxy services are easily accessible, making it a good starting point for bot traffic prevention.

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To effectively block bot traffic, consider using a bot management solution. These software tools can control which bots can access your website and what actions they can perform, providing an additional layer of protection.

By using a bot management solution, you can significantly reduce the impact of bot traffic on your website's server performance. This is especially important, as a server slowdown can have a knock-on effect, impacting the user experience for legitimate traffic.

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Blocking outdated user agents/browsers is a simple yet effective way to discourage some attackers.

Most modern browsers force auto-updates on users, making it difficult to surf the web using an outdated version. This means the risk of blocking outdated user agents/browsers is very low.

We recommend blocking or CAPTCHA the following browser versions.

Blocking bot traffic is a crucial step in protecting your website and mobile apps from malicious attacks. Even if you have advanced security measures in place, less sophisticated attackers often use easily accessible hosting and proxy services.

You can block these data centers by denying access from known hosting providers and proxy services. This might discourage attackers from targeting your site.

By blocking these services, you can prevent bots from accessing your website, API, and mobile apps. Disallowing access from these sources can help reduce the number of bot hits on your server.

It's worth noting that many less sophisticated attackers rely on these hosting and proxy services. By blocking them, you can make it more difficult for these attackers to launch successful attacks on your website.

By taking this step, you can significantly reduce the number of bot hits on your server and improve the overall performance of your website. This can lead to a better user experience for your legitimate visitors.

Creating a robots.txt file is a crucial step in blocking bot traffic, and it's actually quite simple. A robots.txt file is a text file that instructs search engine crawlers which pages to crawl and in what order.

You can create a robots.txt file to tell search engines not to index certain pages on your site. This is a common practice to prevent sensitive information from being exposed to the public.

For example, a robots.txt file can specify that certain pages, like login or admin pages, should not be crawled by search engine crawlers. This helps keep your site's sensitive information secure.

By creating a robots.txt file, you're essentially giving instructions to search engine crawlers on how to navigate your site. It's a straightforward way to control how your site is indexed and crawled.

A robots.txt file can be served from your web server to search engine crawlers, and it's usually located in the root directory of your site. This makes it easy to manage and update as needed.

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Google Analytics is a powerful tool to detect bot traffic on your website. It can help you identify patterns and anomalies that indicate bad bot traffic.

A sudden increase in traffic volume and bounce rate is a common indicator of bad bot traffic in Google Analytics. This is because bots tend to visit your site repeatedly without exploring additional pages.

You can also look out for junk conversions, such as fake account creations or contact forms with gibberish information. These are often caused by form-filling bots.

Slow site load metrics can also indicate an increase in bot traffic or a DDoS attack. This is because bots can slow down your site's load times.

Here are some key metrics to monitor in Google Analytics to detect bot traffic:

By monitoring these metrics and understanding how bot traffic affects your website, you can take steps to prevent it and protect your business.

Carefully evaluate traffic sources to identify potential bot traffic, as high bounce rates and lower conversion rates from certain sources can be signs of bot traffic. Monitor traffic sources regularly to stay on top of potential issues.

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Evaluate bot mitigation solutions, as the bot problem is an ongoing arms race that requires industry expertise and vigilant support to stay ahead. Consider vendors that offer full visibility and control over abusive traffic.

Verify traffic sources and IP addresses to detect bot traffic, as frequent and high numbers of visits from the same IP address can indicate malicious activity. Also, be aware of traffic from unknown sources, as this can be a sign of bad bot traffic.

Filter referral traffic sources to prevent fake traffic from entering your analytics. Apply filters by source or medium to identify hijacked websites that may be streaming false traffic to your inventory.

Protecting your website is just the beginning. You need to protect every bad bot access point, including exposed APIs and mobile apps.

Protecting your website does little good if backdoor paths remain open, so make sure to cover all your bases.

Use a bot management solution to control which bots can access your website and what actions they can perform. This will help you stay one step ahead of malicious bots.

The bot problem is an arms race, and bad actors are constantly finding new ways to attack websites. Consider evaluating bot mitigation vendors that have the industry expertise and vigilant support you'll need for full visibility and control over abusive traffic.

Protecting all access points is crucial to preventing bots from wreaking havoc on your website.

A significant spike in traffic can be a red flag for bot traffic. This is often caused by a single source, which can be a malicious bot attacking your site.

Real traffic comes from various channels, including search engines, referral links, and paid traffic. Sometimes, however, a website's traffic comes from a single source, which can indicate a malicious bot.

A frequent and high number of visits from the same IP addresses can also be a sign of bot traffic. This is because bots often use the same IP address to mask their identity.

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Traffic from unknown sources may also indicate bad bot traffic. For example, if most of your traffic comes from a particular country and there's a sudden increase in traffic from a different country, this could be a sign of bot traffic.

Verify traffic sources and IP addresses to identify potential bot traffic. This can be done using tools like Google Analytics to get a better understanding of your website's traffic.

By tracing the sources of your traffic, you can identify potential bot traffic and take steps to mitigate it. This is an essential part of maintaining a healthy and secure website.

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Public data breaches are a major concern for website security. Newly stolen credentials are more likely to still be active.

Bad bots often run stolen credentials against websites, especially after large breaches occur. This is a common tactic used by malicious actors.

Keep a close eye on public data breaches, as they can increase the frequency of bot attacks on your site.

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Checking browser versions is a crucial step in preventing and mitigating suspicious traffic.

Outdated browser versions can be a red flag, as they often indicate a lack of security updates and patches. The Nokia N8, for example, is an outdated device that can be a sign of suspicious activity.

Try checking for unusual traffic spikes from a particular browser or device. This can help you identify potential security threats early on.

Blocking or CAPTCHA outdated user agents/browsers is a good starting point, as it can discourage some attackers. However, it's essential to note that it won't stop advanced attackers.

You should block or CAPTCHA the following browser versions:

To prevent content scraping, check for duplicate content using tools like SiteLiner, Duplichecker, and CopyScape.

These tools can help you identify if your content appears elsewhere or has been altered in a way that changes its purpose.

You should keep track of key ratios such as those mentioned earlier to ensure your content remains unique and valuable.

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Implementing proper bot detection on your site is crucial to maintain your company's success and prevent competitors from gaining an advantage.

Bots can target a wide range of data, including IP address lookup results, to gain a competitive edge over your business.

Proper bot detection can help you identify and block these malicious bots, reducing the risk of content scraping and data theft.

By using these tools and strategies, you can effectively prevent and mitigate content scraping and protect your business's valuable data.

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Buying bot traffic can lead to inaccurate analytics, making it harder to understand your real website performance.

Bot traffic is bad for your website, and one reason is that it can make you think you're getting more traffic than you actually are.

Engaging in buying bot traffic can also lead to a loss of trust with your audience, as they may catch on to the fake numbers.

Removing false numbers on your analytics is a crucial step in prevention and mitigation.

Bot traffic can also make it difficult to track and measure the success of your marketing efforts, leading to poor decision-making.

False numbers can give you a false sense of security, causing you to invest more time and resources into a strategy that's not working.