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Direct Traffic Bots?
Posted by on August 22, 2025 at 6:00 pmWe are migrating a site from a competitor that is rooted in the SEO sell. We are a strategy firm. I'm trying. understand the reason for a VERY large spike in ONLY direct traffic. We are cognizant of the change to SEO with redesigns, and I don't want to hurt our client, but I really struggle to see how this isn't BS.
Open to all inputs.
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1 Reply
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Like you said, bots. Many times they come from a “traffic provider” hoping you’ll see their domain in GA4 and think, *”these guys actually send traffic, I’ll buy some.”* Sometimes the hits are followed by an email selling traffic. Either way, it’s 100% bots, just like their “traffic.” Just ignore them, they are harmless.
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A sudden spike in direct traffic with no matching brand signals usually points to bot activity hitting the site, not real users.
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Sketchy as hell. SEO agencies gaming direct traffic numbers is more common than people think
Look at the user behavior metrics on that traffic – bot traffic typically shows 80-90% bounce rates, single page sessions, and weird geographic patterns
Check if previous agency had access to Google Ads or other paid channels that could be mislabeled as direct. Also examine referral exclusion lists – they might have hidden traffic sources
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