Launching an ad campaign is always an investment. But if a large portion of the budget is wasted on bot traffic, ROI quickly plummets, and advertisers end up with losses. Beginners in traffic arbitrage often face this problem without having experience in filtering out low-quality traffic. In this article, we will discuss three effective ways to minimize bots and protect your campaign budget.

1. Choosing Verified Traffic Sources

One of the key factors affecting traffic quality is its source. There are many platforms on the market, but not all of them care about traffic purity. Here are some recommendations for selecting reliable sources:

  • Work with well-known ad networks – Research the platform’s reputation, read arbitrageurs’ reviews on forums (e.g., Afflift, ZorbasMedia, StackThatMoney). Pay attention to Ad Networks that have their own anti-fraud solutions.
  • Evaluate test traffic quality – Start campaigns with small budgets and analyze whether the clicks and conversions are real.
  • Avoid overly cheap traffic – In most cases, abnormally low CPC or CPM rates indicate a high level of bot activity.
  • Use whitelisting – Create whitelists of verified sites while filtering out low-quality sources.

2. Setting Up Pre-bid Filters

Pre-bid filtering is the first line of defense against bots, allowing you to prevent purchasing fraudulent traffic before it even reaches your campaign. At Kaminari Click, we recommend:

  • Using geo-targeting and device restrictions – Bots often generate traffic from unexpected GEOs or operate on outdated devices and operating systems.
  • Analyzing the User-Agent – If a particular traffic source consistently delivers users with identical or suspicious User-Agent strings, it should be blocked.
  • Limiting abnormal activity – An excessive number of clicks from a single IP address, high frequency of transitions without normal user behavior on the site – all these are signs of bot traffic.

By applying pre-bid filtering, you significantly reduce the risk of fraudulent traffic entering your campaign.

3. Post-bid Analysis and Campaign Optimization

Even if pre-bid filters block most bots, some may still slip through. That’s why setting up post-bid analytics – checking traffic after it has arrived – is crucial. At Kaminari Click, we use advanced post-bid analysis methods:

  • Tracking behavioral factors – Bots behave differently from real users. They may click on ads but show no activity on landing pages (low Time on Site, no scrolling, instant exit).
  • Comparing with benchmark metrics – If the average user spends 30-40 seconds on the site while suspicious visitors leave within 1-2 seconds, that’s a red flag for source blocking.
  • Using tracking tags and postbacks – Setting up data transfer on real conversions helps filter out sources generating low-quality leads.
  • Blocking suspicious IPs and ASNs – Regular monitoring of IP addresses and Autonomous Systems (ASN) helps identify recurring bot activity patterns.

Conclusion

Avoiding bot traffic at the start of an ad campaign is entirely possible if you approach the process thoughtfully. Use verified sources, set up pre-bid filtering, and analyze post-bid data. This will not only protect your budget but also increase conversion rates by ensuring high-quality traffic.

At Kaminari Click, we offer powerful tools to protect against fraudulent traffic, enabling advertisers and arbitrageurs to receive only high-quality leads. Start testing today and say goodbye to bots once and for all!