How to Detect Bots in Your Analytics: 3 Detection Methods Ranked by Effectiveness

Your bounce rate is at 100%, conversions are down, and bots are why. Nick Stanchenko, Senior Product Manager, breaks down the three-layer approach to bot detection and why simple user agent checks aren't enough. 3 detection pillars (easiest to hardest to fake): 1️⃣ Who they appear to be – User agent strings, automation flags, screen anomalies • Only catches honest or sloppy bots 2️⃣ Where they come from – IP addresses, cloud providers, ASN lookups • VPNs create false positives 3️⃣ How they behave – Mouse movement, scroll patterns, time between views • Hardest to fake, hardest to analyze Key insight: If a user agent says it's Googlebot, trust it. If it says Chrome... don't. Catch the full session here: https://snowplow.io/events/ai-agent-bot-behavioral-intelligence-in-the-agentic-era