Surging Bot Traffic: A Growing Concern for Website Owners
In recent weeks, I’ve noticed a significant uptick in bot traffic affecting several of my clients, raising concerns about the nature and impact of these digital intrusions.
The first incident involved a curious spike in traffic originating from TikTok referrals. Initially, we speculated that this might be a referral scam, an attempt to mislead site owners with fictitious visitor numbers.
The situation escalated with a second client, where the bot traffic appeared even more peculiar. Visitors came from various locations and utilized different versions of Chrome, all from distinct Internet Service Providers. It wasn’t until I reviewed the session recordings that I confirmed these interactions were indeed automated bots.
Just today, another client reported a relentless onslaught of bot traffic. While this wave was less bizarre, as the traffic came from a consistent location and all used the same browser version, it was still sourced from Facebook referrals.
What’s particularly troubling is that these bots are managing to bypass conventional bot filters, bombarding the sites for periods of 1 to 3 days before abruptly ceasing. While bot traffic is not a new phenomenon, the frequency and sophistication of these attacks suggest something unusual may be occurring, particularly within the e-commerce sector.
Have you experienced a similar situation with your website? Are there any insights or strategies to share regarding effective bot detection and mitigation? I’m eager to understand if this trend is widespread or if I might be overreacting to the indicators at play.