Detecting Non Human Traffic

[T J Tutor]

I read n interesting article in Webmaster Magazine about detecting non human traffic, which we are all hampered by in our traffic buys.

ComScore acquired MdotLabs in early Aug. 2014 to augment its non-human traffic (NHT) detection methods used in the Media Metrix and validated Campaign Essentials (vCE) product suites.

In order to identify malicious and phony traffic from bots, click farms, pay per view networks, and alike, comScores NHT detection systems combined with MdotLabs allow for a mathematical equation that results in identifying true human digital audiences for our ads and promotions.

Developing the highly sophisticated techniques for identifying and eliminating non-human traffic, which often runs in excess of 50% of my traffic sometimes on a campaign, isn't being embraced as deeply as one would expect because many traffic sources are relying on the extra traffic from these fraudulent sources to increase revenues.

How have you dealt with your traffic sources when it comes to this fraudulent traffic. I can identify some of it, but I haven't ever been able to eliminate all of it.

 

[Tanksy]

As you said, the non human traffic generates revenues as well, therefore, I've never really felt any need to keep it off of my websites. As long as they don't use too many resources the bots can visit my sites all day long. The spam bots are the ones I am super annoyed at, specially on my forums, where they keep trying to register new accounts, but I have managed to get rid of them, even without using CAPTCHA, by introducing Q&A. Ask some question like "How man fingers people have on one hand". The bots won't be able to answer it.

 

[T J Tutor]

As you said, the non human traffic generates revenues as well, therefore, I've never really felt any need to keep it off of my websites. As long as they don't use too many resources the bots can visit my sites all day long. The spam bots are the ones I am super annoyed at, specially on my forums, where they keep trying to register new accounts, but I have managed to get rid of them, even without using CAPTCHA, by introducing Q&A. Ask some question like "How man fingers people have on one hand". The bots won't be able to answer it.

Yeah, but when you are paying for the traffic, the bot traffic earns the traffic source money from me when I pay for the traffic and, well, fraud traffic doesn't perform. If I am paying for traffic, I want it to perform in a manner that increases my revenues on the site.

As or the spam bots, yeah, that was really annoying for a while until, like you, I finally dialed in the sites to eliminate them from the sign ups.