When promoting advertising campaigns, it is crucial to be able to analyse statistics accurately. However, the conditions of digital advertising have created an environment where bots can significantly distort statistics and waste budget without producing tangible results. An effective advertising campaign can be set up by applying effective methods of protection against bots, which will help minimise budget loss and maximise return on investment.
Specialists of TerraLeads have compiled a few tips to help you protect yourself from bots.
Scope of the problem
The number of internet users is growing at an exponential rate, accompanied by a corresponding increase in the number of bots. Our research indicates that between 11% and 30% of all users of the World Wide Web are bots. The precise figure is unknown, and in reality it may be considerably higher. Advertising fraud has a detrimental effect on the effectiveness and profitability of an advertising campaign, as well as on the statistics.
The prevalence of bots on the internet is a significant concern. A significant number of these are concentrated in social networks, but the most problematic instances can be found in teaser and banner ads.
Methods of bot detection
The majority of online traffic is generated by bots. These automated algorithms form the backbone of online activities, performing a range of actions according to a pre-programmed schedule.
It is worth noting that there is no miracle solution that will help to get rid of bots 100%. The nutra advertiser has prepared some recommendations to identify them:
1. Analysis of user behaviour
The method is based on monitoring user behaviour on a website or mobile application. It is important to be aware of any unusual behaviour, such as unusually high browsing speeds, a lack of interaction with content, or unusual click patterns. Such behaviours can be indicative of the presence of bots.
2. IP address accounting and analysis
In order to ensure the accuracy of the analysis, it is possible to exclude any IP addresses that have been identified as belonging to a botnet.
The use of a list of known bot IP addresses enables the automatic filtering of suspicious traffic.
Use of captcha and user tests. The most common approach is to implement captcha or humanity tests on landing pages or campaign forms. This method helps identify bots that will not be able to successfully pass such tests, thereby reducing the number of false positives.
3. Monitoring of performance indicators
Monitoring key performance indicators of advertising campaigns on a regular basis allows you to identify anomalies that may be caused by the actions of bots. This includes conversion targets, average check, time on site, and other relevant metrics.
4. Use of dedicated analytics platforms
Specialised analytics platforms offer tools to detect and filter bot traffic in real time. These platforms employ advanced machine learning and big data analytics to effectively identify suspicious traffic.
Solutions to Protect yourself from Bots
Bot detection is one of the first steps towards preventing automated attacks on advertising campaigns, bots, social networks, mobile apps. It is important to track human traffic and distinguish it from bots. To do this, TerraLeads affiliates use the following methods:
1. Connect to analytics systems
This will help to properly define the quality of traffic and identify any irregularities.
2. Connect 1-2 landings/prelendings to standard analytics systems (Google Analytics): You can then compare the metrics. The key metrics are:
The time spent on the landing/prelanding page: Bots can negatively impact the page load time, with users spending an average of three seconds on the page before leaving the site. It is crucial to analyse the page transition and cursor behaviour. Though it is true that bots can also perform this action. It is vital to gather comparable data and analyse it.
Interval of banner clicks: It is also important to monitor the number of banner clicks made by bots, as this can provide valuable insight into the effectiveness of your marketing strategy.
Interval and duration of actions (scrolling, clicking buttons, filling out forms, etc.): If form filling, scrolling is too fast, you may suspect strange activity, which is similar to bots.
GEO: It is common practice for bots to utilise fake IP addresses and proxy servers. It is crucial to monitor the location of the traffic. If you are advertising a product in the USA and the traffic is European, it is important to consider the veracity of this.
3. Make blacklists and white lists: This option is also effective for protection against bots. This method enables the identification of sites that are unsuitable for collaboration due to the prevalence of bots. To be more precise, the blacklist is a list of websites on which your advertisements will not be promoted. Prior to adding a site to the list, it is advisable to ascertain the time of day when your audience is most active, to measure the number of bounce rates and to add hidden fields. The average user will not see the hidden fields, but a bot will fill them in. If a significant number of these fields are filled out, it is advisable to proceed with the addition of the site to the blacklist. The white list is a list of targeted resources that should be allocated the majority of the advertising budget. This method will help to ensure that the budget is allocated correctly and that there is minimal risk of funds being depleted.
4. Segment your advertising campaign: It is essential to conduct regular tests to analyse effectiveness and select the most effective strategies. It is possible to run several advertising campaigns for different audiences, including male, female, age 45+, and others. You will be able to identify which segment should be discontinued and which can be expanded.
Conclusion
It is important to note that not all bots are inherently dangerous and should be perceived as a negative phenomenon. It is worth noting that over 80% of affiliates utilise bots as a tool in their work.
However, there are also instances where bots can have a detrimental impact on statistics and result in significant budgetary implications. The article outlines the most common and effective ways to combat bots. It is important to note that even with the most rigorous adherence to best practices, there is no absolute guarantee that bot clicks will be eliminated. As online fraud becomes increasingly sophisticated, it is essential to continually identify new strategies to combat it.
