You may have noticed that bots are rampant in the online world. For online competition businesses, especially, they are proving to be a growing, significant issue.
Not only do bots rig competitions and make running a business harder, but if uncontrolled, they can really tarnish your reputation. As a competition business, you might already be dealing with lots of ‘scammer’ accusations. Bots don’t really help in that department.
Although we can’t rid the online world of bots (not yet, anyway), we can prevent them from coming near your competitors.
Let’s dive into how you can do that, but first: how do bots infiltrate your comps in the first place?
Bots are, unfortunately for us humans, quite smart. They can bypass your competition restrictions, like for example “one entry per person,” with no problem. This results in them entering multiple times, boosting their chances of winning. This, of course, results in the wrong winner being awarded, while also causing fake lead generation and skewed data.
If you’re hosting a social media giveaway, keep in mind that bots also know how to fill out forms, follow accounts, and post comments at lightning speed. They also know how to target specific keywords on social media platforms like Twitter/X. Pfft, show-offs.
Generally, bots are also known to create fake identities. This primarily shows through fake emails and social media accounts. They know how to navigate a page and use real IP addresses. They love to pose as humans, but they’re far from human. Spine-chilling.
So, how do you know if a bot is… well, a bot?
Behold, a list of symptoms you should keep an eye out for:
These are the main things to watch out for when it comes to keeping your competition entries fair and square. If something feels off about a player and they exhibit these bot-like qualities, dig a little deeper. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Luckily, there are several ways to prevent a complete bot takeover. There are a few things you can do to keep your competitions safe and sound from them, such as:
All these tools act like a pepper spray against bots.
Bots will try to infiltrate competitions, especially those that are free entry, but as long as you’ve got the right tools, you’ve nothing to worry about.
Hey, speaking of the right tools, where — oh, where! —Could you possibly get them?
There may be lots of bots hanging out online, but that doesn’t give them the right to stick around. You’ve got all the power to kick ‘em out from your comps — and our secure site-building expertise is just the tool you need.
Our competition sites are bulletproof. You can count on us.
Interested in getting started? Contact us today.
