What is bot traffic?
Bot traffic is any non-human traffic, and it accounts for almost half of all internet traffic globally (49.6% in 2023). Automated scripts and software applications that generate traffic are called “bots” and they visit websites or apps and interact with their content. Bots can serve many purposes, ranging from beneficial to malicious.
It’s like having a swarm of robots visiting your website instead of actual people. This traffic can originate from a variety of sources and serve different purposes, which is where the distinction between “good” and “bad” bots comes in.
Think of it this way:
- Human traffic is a person using a web browser to visit your website
- Bot traffic is a computer program (bot) running scripts to interact with your website
The key point is that bot traffic is not generated by real people, but rather by automated software. This can have significant implications for website analytics, security, and overall performance, which is why many websites employ bot-blocking tools like CAPTCHAs to identify and mitigate bot traffic.
How bot traffic works
Bot traffic works through automated software programs called bots, which are designed to interact with websites and apps.
Different types of bots work in different ways, depending on their purpose and level of sophistication. Simple bots that follow basic scripts and instructions can perform repetitive tasks like visiting pages or clicking links, while more sophisticated bots can mimic human behavior more closely – for example by using machine learning and artificial intelligence to adapt to changing conditions and perform more complex tasks.
The stages of bot traffic can be broken down into the following simplified steps:
- Developers write code to create bots with specific instructions and capabilities. These instructions can range from simple tasks like visiting a webpage to more complex actions like filling out forms or making purchases.
- Developers deploy bots on servers or networks, sometimes in large numbers. During the development process, they can decide whether to control the bots remotely or set them to run autonomously based on pre-defined triggers or schedules.
- Bots execute their instructions, interacting with websites or apps. This can involve sending requests, receiving responses, parsing data, and performing actions like clicking on links or filling out forms.
- Bots often collect data during their interactions, such as page content, user information, or product details. People can analyze this data for various purposes, including market research, competitor analysis, or content aggregation.
- As bots interact with websites and apps, they generate traffic. Server logs and analytics platforms can record this traffic, so it may appear as pageviews, clicks, conversions, or other metrics, making it difficult to distinguish from human traffic.
Where does bot traffic come from?
Bot traffic originates from various sources, which can be either legitimate or malicious – sometimes called “good” or “bad” bots. The distinction between “good” and “bad” bots depends on their intended purpose and the impact of their actions.
You should understand that the bot itself is not inherently good or bad. The technology that powers bot traffic is simply a tool that people use for all kinds of purposes. The distinction lies in how the bot is programmed and the intentions of the person using it.
Example: Consider a bot designed to click on online ads. A malicious actor can use a bot like this to commit click fraud by artificially inflating ad clicks and generating fraudulent revenue. However, a legitimate advertiser can also use the exact same bot to verify that their ads are clickable and displayed correctly.
Good bots
Good bots, also known as beneficial or helpful bots, are automated software programs designed to perform tasks that are beneficial to website owners, businesses, or people who use the internet. Unlike bad bots, which are associated with malicious activities, good bots contribute positively to the internet and provide valuable services.
Search engine bots
Search engines like Google, Bing, and DuckDuckGo use search engine crawlers, or web spiders, to discover, index, and rank web pages for their results pages. They crawl through websites, following links and collecting information about the content they find. This improves search results for people who use their services.
Monitoring bots
Website administrators and web hosting providers use monitoring bots to check for uptime, broken links, security vulnerabilities, and other issues that could impact website functionality to improve user experience.
Data scrapers
Data scrapers are bots that can extract specific data from websites, often automating the process of collecting information that would be time-consuming or difficult for you to do manually. Web scraping has multiple valuable uses, especially for businesses seeking to gain a competitive edge through market research, competitor analysis, and lead generation.
“Bad” bots
Bad bots perform malicious activities that harm websites, businesses, or people. These bots have a negative impact on the internet, for example by exploiting vulnerabilities, stealing data, disrupting website operations, or spreading misinformation.
Spam bots
Spam bots can use algorithms or pre-written templates to send unwanted emails, make comments on social media platforms or website comment sections, or even send you unsolicited instant messages. Their goal is to trick recipients into clicking on links, making purchases, or revealing personal information.
DDoS bots
DDoS stands for Distributed Denial of Service, which is an attack that aims to overwhelm a target website or server with a flood of traffic, so that legitimate users can’t access it. Attackers use DDoS bots in a large network (called a botnet), and instruct them to simultaneously send requests to the target so that it becomes overloaded and unavailable.
Click fraud bots
Click fraud bots can click on ads repeatedly, which artificially inflates the number of clicks the ad receives. Fraudsters may deploy these bots to generate revenue for themselves, or to deplete the advertising budget of a competitor.
What impact does bot traffic have on websites?
The impact of bot traffic on a website can vary depending on the type and intent of the bots involved. While some bots, like search engine crawlers, are good for website visibility and indexing, others can have unwanted effects. Malicious bots, such as those involved in DDoS attacks or spam campaigns, can overload servers, compromise security, and disrupt website operations.
Even if you deploy bot traffic without malicious intentions, for example by using scrapers to get valuable insights for your business, you can still strain the website's resources if you don't manage them properly, which could slow down the website or cause it to crash.
How do websites detect bot traffic?
Websites can differentiate between human visitors and bot traffic based on their digital footprints and interaction patterns. They can analyze these interactions through a variety of bot detection techniques, including:
- Examining HTTP headers
- Monitoring unusual traffic patterns
- Employing JavaScript challenges
- Using CAPTCHA tests
- Implementing rate limits
Bots often exhibit predictable or repetitive patterns compared to the more random behavior of humans. Behavioral analysis focuses on how the user interacts with the website to establish whether it originates from a human or a bot. These behaviors include:
- Mouse movements
- Clicks
- Keyboard input
- Session duration
- Page scroll depth
The role of ethical bot use
Generating bot traffic in an ethical way goes beyond simply having good intentions. It means that your automated software programs adhere to a set of ethical principles and guidelines in their design, development, and deployment.
This includes:
- Transparently identifying themselves as bots
- Respecting website rules and resources
- Prioritizing user privacy and consent
Unlike malicious bots that exploit vulnerabilities and cause harm, ethical bot use focuses on creating tools that benefit individuals, businesses, or society as a whole, while minimizing any negative impact on the online ecosystem.
At SOAX, we adhere to our strict set of ethical guidelines to ensure that malicious actors cannot use the SOAX platform to generate unethical bot traffic. We also encourage anyone who encounters abuse of SOAX products to file a report so we can rectify it quickly.
Ethical examples of bot traffic
| Use |
Example |
| Load testing |
Helping developers identify performance bottlenecks and optimize resource allocation |
| Quality control |
Automating repetitive testing tasks like checking for broken links, or testing compatibility issues across browsers and devices |
| Data collection and analysis |
Crawling websites and collecting publicly available information like product prices or business reviews for market research, competitor analysis, or academic studies |
| Competitive intelligence |
Monitoring competitor websites for price changes, new product launches, or marketing campaigns to help businesses stay informed and make decisions |
| Reputation management |
Monitoring the internet for specific keywords or phrases, such as brand mentions, to help businesses quickly respond to customer feedback and manage their online reputation |
How to avoid bot-blocking measures
When you are trying to deploy bot traffic in an ethical way, you may find that your bots are repeatedly blocked from accessing your target website. This is because the target website uses bot-blocking techniques to mitigate the effects of bad bot traffic.
Luckily, there are a number of ways to evade these bot-blocking measures. The technique that works for your bots will depend on your target website and the level of sophistication of the blocks.
Reduce scraping frequency
Some websites use rate limiting mechanisms to stop DDoS attacks. In this case, you can slow down the rate at which your bots request data, so it doesn’t trigger the rate limit.
Vary request patterns
Avoiding predictable patterns in your bots’ behavior helps them mimic human browsing patterns. This makes it harder for the website to identify your bot traffic, and helps you to avoid triggering bot detection mechanisms.
Use proxies
Proxies route your requests through different IP addresses, which disguises your bot traffic’s origin and prevents detection based on IP patterns. Routing your bot traffic through residential proxies also helps to mitigate request frequency limitations.
Note: You should use a reputable proxy provider with a large pool of whitelisted residential IP addresses (not a free public proxy) to avoid blocks based on IP reputation.
You can also go a step further and use a tool like the SOAX Web Unblocker, which automatically retries failed requests, rotates proxies, and manages your metadata to get you the data you need with little manual input.
Use headless browsers
Headless browsers operate without a graphical user interface, making them faster and less resource-intensive than traditional browsers. You can also configure them to emulate human behavior, making it harder for websites to detect them as bots.
There are lots of different headless browsers for you to choose from, some of the most popular ones are:
- Headless Chrome: A versatile and powerful option with a wide range of features, making it suitable for complex web scraping, testing, and automation tasks
- Zombie.js: A good choice for fast, lightweight web scraping and testing tasks that don't require advanced features
- SimpleBrowser: A simple and versatile option for basic web automation tasks on different platforms
- DotNetBrowser: A powerful tool for .NET developers who need advanced features and seamless integration with their .NET applications
Use scraping APIs
Scraping APIs help you to extract data from websites in a structured and controlled manner. SOAX scraping APIs have built-in mechanisms to handle rate limits, IP rotation, and other anti-bot measures. This makes it easier for your bot to access the data you need.
