Google Analytics bot blocking filter based on bounce rate, pages per session and average session duration

Question

I looked in Google Analytics to view my website traffic. Out of over 900 landing pages, nearly half look like bot traffic.

Here is what I am looking at: Acquisition > All Traffic > Channels > Direct > Secondary Dimension dropdown: Network Domain

If I see: Bounce Rate = 100% + Pages/Session = 1.00 + Avg. Session Duration = 00:00:00 then to me that seems like a good indicator of bot traffic.

Any recommendations on what filters I should apply? There are too many Network Domains to block and I would rather use a different type of filter.

Can I create a single filter for the three elements I just mentioned? (Bounce Rate = 100% + Pages/Session = 1.00 + Avg. Session Duration = 00:00:00)

Answer 1

First of all, you should check the "Bot filtering" option in Google Analytics. That will exclude all traffic generated by known bots and spiders.

After that you should start analyzing your data to identify anomalies. As you said, bot traffic typically has a 100% bounce and 1 page per session but it could be more traffic without value so you need to search for all inaccurate data. Each one that you detected should be transferred to a exclude filter for a new clean Analytics view.

At any time it can appear another bot that generates an anomaly in your data so you need to implement a permanent process of reviewing your data quality.

That way, you can maintain a clean view with accurate data.