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What are “bad bots,” and are they bad for business?
Bad bots are not suitable for business and affect traffic and SEO.
As a business owner, especially with a new website, you’re probably aware of that feeling you get when your analytics has picked up some traffic to your site or engagement on your social media. It can be a little discouraging to find out that a good chunk of that traffic isn’t real – they’re bots. Those classified as “bad bots” are the worst kind – the ones that create a stir because sometimes it can be challenging to discover them.
Bots make up almost 40% of all web traffic – that’s 1 in 5 website requests of traffic being by bad bots. These bots will wreck your business analytics, giving you incorrect data as to the conversions and other information regarding your online presence.
What’s the difference?
Bad bots use Javascript to mimic mouse movements making them look more realistic and harder to detect.
Many bad bots are incredibly sophisticated. They can use algorithms and software such as javascript to mimic the mouse movements and other characteristics of real human beings. They can post comments and reviews, spam, or even mine your website for data.
Of course, there are some great reasons to use bots – and they have been proven to work in many instances since they were created back in the ’80s to moderate chat rooms (IRC) and keep servers from shutting down. Now, 30 or so years later, they are essentially what keeps the internet alive.
Search engines like Google would be unable to analyze and collect data. You also wouldn’t be able to rely on the many apps and features that businesses use to minimize work while maximizing the knowledge gained about your audience. However, while many companies take advantage of them for their quick and easy gathering of data and automation of tasks, those who create and use bad bots are doing the same thing – but for cybercrime.
IT firms and web developers will continue to shape and develop smarter and more advanced ways of preventing bad bots. All while still utilizing the user data collected to understand the internet, the millions who use it, and the future of technology.
Why Are They Bad for business?
Bad bots skew data giving you inaccurate results and causing companies to make misinformed marketing decisions.
In addition to bots being able to skew the information gathered through your website analytics, they are also notorious for many other malicious maneuvers online. Some of which can lead to some severe wreckage for your business offline, as well.
Like the scene where the bots replicate and take over the game in Wreck-it Ralph 2, when bots get together, they’re a force that is difficult to stop. It would be best if you took measures to prevent the wreckage that bots can create before they can get in. They can take over a network and crash it, creating a period of “downtime” for your business. Bad ones are also capable of slowing down your website response time and performance by a considerable amount. It can get so bad that real human visitors who find your site may become frustrated and click away.
There are many preventative measures you can take to keep bad bots off your website. You must make sure the analytics you receive are accurately portraying human visitors. Failure to do so will give you less than desirable results. By reaching out to an MSP like Infinity DataTel, you can take the right steps to protect your online business.