Google’s Martin Splitt addressed a question about malicious bots affecting site performance, offering practical advice for SEOs and site owners.
Malicious Bots Impact SEO
Security and bot traffic are often overlooked in site audits, yet they play a crucial role in site performance. Excessive crawling can lead to server errors like “500 server error,” which hinders Google’s ability to crawl web pages effectively.
How To Defend Against Bot Attacks
When faced with targeted scraping and performance issues, Martin Splitt recommended identifying the source of the attacks and notifying the service provider. He also suggested using the firewall capabilities of a CDN (Content Delivery Network) to block malicious bots, as CDNs can help mitigate performance degradation by distributing traffic and recognizing legitimate bots.
Use a WAF to Block Bots
A Web Application Firewall (WAF) is an effective tool for blocking malicious bots. CDNs like Cloudflare offer WAF capabilities, which can enhance site performance by reducing server load and automatically blocking harmful traffic. Additionally, WordPress plugins like Wordfence or SaaS platforms like Sucuri provide WAFs that can further protect your site and improve its performance.
