According to a recent report, 64% of the internet’s traffic consists of bots. The word ‘Bot’ may come out as a negative term, but it has both a positive and negative impact on the internet. Their actions depend on their goals, whether they are promoting marketing campaigns.
The internet is home to many bots, each with a distinct feature and purpose as varied as the collection. A wise company would create a barrier to safeguard its marketing initiatives.
In this article, we will dive into the world of bots and explore their types and how they are used to harm or help businesses.
What is a bot?
A bot or software application that conducts automated operations, mimics human behaviour and may execute various internet activities. Bots are meant to interact with websites, collect data, imitate conversations, and do various other functions. Bots have become indispensable tools for enterprises and people due to their capacity to do specific jobs. Bots can assist in boosting efficiency and production, which are becoming common in our daily lives.
Types of Bots
Bots are computer programmes that are programmed to carry out specific activities without the need for human involvement. There are two types of bots – Good & Bad bot.
Good Bot:
A good bot is a type of bot that serves a valuable purpose and benefits businesses and users. Search engines, social media platforms, and other legitimate entities often create these bots to index web pages, provide information, or enhance user experiences. Good bots play a crucial role in maintaining the functionality and accessibility of the internet.
Bad Bot:
A lousy bot is designed to perform malicious activities that can harm businesses and users. Bad bots are responsible for engaging in ad fraud, scraping content, account takeover, spamming, and launching distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. These bots aim to exploit vulnerabilities for personal gain or to disrupt online operations.
Types of Good Bots:
Bots are computer programs designed to automate specific tasks. While some bots are malicious or spammy, many good bots help people and businesses save time, money, and effort. Here are some common types of good bots:
- Search engine bots: They are unsung internet heroes. They crawl the web, indexing pages and providing users with relevant results when searching. Without these bots, finding information online would be an uphill task. They are the key to easily locating the information we need.
- Chatbots: This technology can be used for customer support, booking orders, providing product recommendations, and much more. Chatbots have made it easier for companies to provide a better user experience and help customers find what they are looking for quickly and efficiently.
- Social media bots: These can help manage social media accounts by posting content, replying to comments, following users, and analysing data. Social media bots can save time for marketers and influencers.
- Web scraping bots: Web scraping bots are becoming helpful for businesses, researchers, and journalists. With these bots’ help, businesses can better understand their market and customers, while researchers and journalists can get new knowledge and uncover valuable information.
- Security bots: Bots that identify and prevent cyber threats like malware, phishing, and DDoS assaults. Security bots can safeguard networks, devices, and data from various threats.
- Personal assistant bots: These can assist individuals with personal tasks, such as scheduling, reminders, shopping, and entertainment. Personal assistant bots can simplify and enrich daily life.
You can leverage their benefits and avoid pitfalls by understanding the different types of good bots. Remember to use bots ethically and stay informed about the latest developments in bot technology.
Types of Bad Bots:
Bad bots can cause a lot of damage to your website, from stealing data to slowing down your site’s performance. Here are the most common types of bad bots and how to identify them:
- Web Scrapers: Web scrapers are malicious bots designed to extract content from your website for their benefit. It is essential to take preventative measures to stop web scrapers from accessing your website and using its content.
- Spam Bots: These bots flood your site with spam comments and links, harming your site’s reputation and SEO.
- Click Bots: These bots are designed to click on ads or links on your site to generate revenue for the bot operator. This can lead to inflated analytics and ad revenue numbers.
- Malware Bots: These bots are designed to install malware on your site, which can steal user data or harm your visitors’ devices.
To stop bad bots, you can use security software or services that can identify and block them. Additionally, regularly monitoring your website’s traffic can help you spot any suspicious activity and act before it causes significant damage.
How can you prevent the impact of bots?
Preventing the negative impact of bots requires proactive measures. Here are some strategies to consider:
Implement Bot Management Solutions:
Utilise bot management solutions that can help identify and differentiate between good and bad bots. These solutions employ IP blocking, behaviour analysis, and CAPTCHA challenges to detect and block malicious bot traffic.
Monitor Traffic and Analytics:
Regularly monitor website traffic and analyse user behaviour to identify suspicious patterns or anomalies. Unusual spikes in traffic or repetitive actions may indicate the presence of bot activity. By closely monitoring analytics, businesses can take timely action to prevent bot-related issues.
Utilise CAPTCHA and Verification Techniques:
Use CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart) or other verification mechanisms to verify that only human users access your website or services. These measures can help prevent automated bots from performing unauthorised actions.
Regularly Update Security Measures:
Stay updated with your website or application’s latest security patches and software updates. Bots often exploit vulnerabilities in outdated software versions. Regular updates help safeguard against known security risks and reduce the chances of bot attacks.
Collaborate with an Ad Traffic Verification Partner
Stay one step ahead of the evolving bot threats and fraud techniques with a ad fraud solution partner. By validating ad traffic, advertisers can identify invalid traffic and eliminate them to reduce the wastage of ad spends.
Way Forward
Understanding the different types of bots and their impact is crucial for online businesses. While good bots contribute to the functionality and user experience, bad bots can cause significant harm, particularly in ad fraud. By implementing effective bot management solutions, monitoring website traffic, and staying vigilant, businesses can mitigate the negative impact of bots and protect their online operations.
Author’s Bio
Arvind Mathur – BU Head, Web
Arvind Mathur is a seasoned digital product expert and the Business Unit Head at mFilterIt. With extensive experience in building digital products for media, marketing, and technology platforms, Arvind specializes in validating digital advertising spends and mitigating reputational risk. He has actively contributed to industry committees, including IAB Tech Lab, Media Rating Council, and IAMAI. Arvind’s leadership at mFilterIt has resulted in the expansion of digital product development capabilities, leveraging cutting-edge technologies like ML and AI, leading to significant growth and the establishment of new revenue streams.