Win the Bot Battle: How to Identify and Filter Out Bot Traffic in Google Analytics

Bot traffic Google Analytics: What, Why and How to Fix It

At Big Orange Marketing, we spend a lot of time analyzing the results of our marketing efforts. If you’re like us, you practically live on Google Analytics. Maybe at one point you even noticed a huge influx of traffic to your website. Sounds great, right? But often a massive wave of website visitors are accompanied with high bounce rates, reduced time on site and an increased drop off from the homepage. Meanwhile, you’re left in the dust trying to explain to upper management what exactly happened. Here’s the culprit: Bot traffic. 

Google Analytics is usually an extremely helpful tool for creating an accurate picture of website reach, but pesky bot traffic can throw a major wrench in your reporting. Here’s why it happens and how to fix it. 

Why Am I Getting So Much Traffic From One City? 

Junk traffic from places like Ashburn, VA,  are usually the result of Amazon or HubSpot bots. The reason for this is that Ashburn is located near an internet infrastructure hub. Major tech and information companies feed their data through the Dulles Technology Corridor, a vital electronic pathway that carries more than half of all Internet traffic. This infographic shares some numbers that illustrate exactly how mammoth Ashburn traffic is: 

  • 2.2 trillion Google searches pass through Ashburn every day.
  • Ashburn is the communications gateway to Europe.
  • Worldwide, 1.8 zettabytes of data were created in 2011, which is equal to every U.S. citizen tweeting three times per minute for 26,976 years.

How to Filter Out Bot Traffic

All that activity is likely the cause of your inflated reports and management headaches. Usually Google Analytics is good at filtering out bot traffic, but you may need to manually go in and tinker with the settings. Here’s how to double check that your account is excluding bots and filtering out bad traffic from Ashburn, VA.

  1. Make sure you check “exclude all hits from known bots and spiders.”  To do this, go to your Admin page, look for the “view” column and select “view settings.” There should be a section called “bot filtering.” Double check that box is checked. Did you notice the caveat  “all known bots”?  The next step shows how you can wipe out any traffic Google might have missed. 
  1. Set up a unique filter to exclude fake traffic. To do this, go  back to the “view column.” Then select the “filters” tab. From there you can click on “add filter.” Follow our screenshot below for how to set up the dialog box to exclude a specific location, IP address or other spam. 
Add Filter to View

Only 40 Percent of Website Traffic Is Human 

As digital marketers,  it’s important to be able to communicate website behavior and give our clients a clear picture of their business so that they can make accurate decisions. Our team of web experts helps American businesses maximize their potential to get leads and grow. Let’s work together to reach your next milestone, book a meeting on our calendar. 

BigOrange Team

BigOrange Team

At BigOrange Marketing our team helps dozens of companies win millions of dollars in business while delivering what others just promise. We provide websites and complete outsourced digital marketing plans to help you get found, get results and get your time back.

Share the knowledge

Turbo-charge Your MSP Website - Unlock the Power of Lucky 13 - BOM

Turbo-charge Your MSP Website: Unlock the Power of Lucky 13

Managed service providers, want to transform your MSP website into a powerhouse of conversion?   Here are 13 essential points that will elevate your website’s performance…

Explore this Topic
How Prospective Customers Evaluate Manufacturers - BOM

How Prospective Customers Evaluate Manufacturers

Did you know that your next marketing breakthrough as a manufacturer could be hidden within the buying behaviors of prospective customers? The Shift From Handshakes…

Explore this Topic
Why is Social Media Topic Authority Important? Business Social Made Simple

Why Is Social Media Topic Authority Important?

Today’s marketing landscape is crowded. Every industry I can think of is full of firms that have a longer tenure, more capital and resources. Topic…

Explore this Topic
What Is a Social Media Hook

What Is a Social Media Hook?

I hardly remember anything or even care when I first see it. Yet I keep coming back and checking in and engaging on my social…

Explore this Topic
Turbocharge Your Google Rankings with 7 Easy Tips! - BOM

Turbocharge Your Google Rankings with 7 Easy Tips!

Unleash the untapped potential of Google My Business (GMB). Learn how in our electrifying webinar. All of these tips will be delivered in our super-efficient,…

Explore this Topic
8 Ways to Use HubSpot Sales Process Tools - BOM

8 Ways to Use HubSpot Sales Process Tools

HubSpot sales process tools are often overlooked but can be powerful, no matter if you have a  sales team of one, 10 or 100. The…

Explore this Topic
Grow More in ‘24 - Managed Services Marketing Tactics - BOM

Grow More in ‘24: Managed Services Marketing Tactics

Where do you start your managed services marketing journey? When so many marketing companies offer similar services, it’s essential to craft a unique identity that…

Explore this Topic
MSP Marketing in 2024 - BOM

Managed Service Provider Statistics and MSP Marketing 2024

Every business and organization relies on technology to make their operations fast and effective. Who ensures that these systems work as they should? Managed service…

Explore this Topic

The 22 Best Digital Marketing Ideas to Drive Sustainable Lead Generation in 2024


Ready to grow in 2024? A good plan has to be comprehensive and filled with the best ingredients--from SEO to content, social media to paid boosting. 

Here’s what you’ll learn:

  • How to target efficiently with personas
  • How to assess if your website is hurting or helping you
  • How a content marketing plan will help you rank with Google through SEO
  • The social media tactics you need and the ones you can skip