Bad bots – you don’t want to deal with them. You don’t want them to slow your growth, and you don’t want bad bots on your platform. You probably wonder how to keep them away.

Advertising on platforms across the internet has become a way to grow an audience and increase engagement successfully. That engagement translates to more clicks, leads, and sales – but only when that engagement comes from real people, not malicious bot activity. Let’s look at four steps that platforms can take to prevent bad bots.

1. Identify Signs of Ad Fraud

When you notice an increase in traffic on your platform, that data should be analyzed further. There are red flags that can signal threats of harmful bot activity that should never be ignored. Identifying where your traffic is coming from, the times of day you see traffic spikes, and the quality of your visitor engagement is a valuable strategy in catching ad fraud early. How long are the views? Do conversions go through, or do they bounce back again and again?

2. Block Known Bots and Fraudulent Marketers

Frequently update and block IP addresses that are already flagged for being a problem. With a bot prevention solution at work on your platforms, these known generators of ad fraud are blacklisted and blocked from accessing your site. Many geo-locations are also known for fraudulent bot activity.

3. Cover All of Your Platforms

Once bots are on your advertising platform, it is only a matter of time until they are doing their damage. Monitor regularly for signs of bot activity, like spam comments and questionable content — on Google Ads, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and pages on your site. Fraudulent marketers may think you’re not paying close attention to your social media platforms, but don’t let them trick you. Fraud that starts on these platforms is a waste of valuable marketing opportunities. 

4. Stay Updated

The bad news is that ad fraud is continuously evolving. Fraudsters are becoming trickier, and bots may try to evade bot prevention methods, better mimicking human behavior or slipping in backdoor access points. But the good news is bot prevention solutions are constantly evolving too. A good bot prevention solution is updated frequently to address the most recent information and block the most recent threats to a platform’s security. 

It is possible to prevent a bot attack and stop bots before they can cause you problems with the right solution. That’s what we’re here for! At Fraudlogix, we offer effective solutions to detect and block bot activity, stopping ad fraud in its tracks. Contact us today to discuss the right solution for your AdTech and MarTech platforms.