Managing Non-Human Interactions (NHI) and Bot Clicks in Email Campaigns

Overview:  

Automated clicks generated by bots, often referred to as Non-Human Interactions (NHI), act as a security measure implemented by the receiving mail server. While anti-spam filters and software programs work to ensure the safety and security of links and domains within emails, the exact triggers for these bot clicks remain unclear. The technology responsible for managing NHI click negation is proprietary, and Omeda is one of the few companies that employs this advanced system. Clients can access the Clickbot Detail Report to gain insights into click activity.

Note: Omeda does not suppress NHI opens; all opens are included in the reporting. 

How to Alleviate Bot Clicks if They Bypass Our NHI Suppression Rulesets: 

• Maintain List Hygiene and Engagement Levels: Regularly assess your email lists by removing unengaged or inactive recipients, as these factors significantly impact NHI behavior.

• Avoid Sending Text Versions of Emails: Higher bot activity is often associated with text versions of emails; therefore, it is advisable to minimize their use.

• Include a Stealth Link: Incorporate a hidden link that redirects to a page without affecting your click tracking. This ensures that only bot activity is recorded on that link, as it remains unseen by recipients.

• Suppress Top Domains with Excessive Bot Activity: You can suppress domains exhibiting high bot activity without genuine clicks through Email Builder > Deployment Defaults > Domain Suppression.

Ignored IPs

The Ignored IPs user interface enables users to effectively manage IP addresses that should be disregarded or classified as “unreal” clicks when associated with a deployment click. Users can add IP addresses identified as belonging to security products or other bot clickers, ensuring they are excluded from reports. This functionality complements Omeda’s existing algorithms, which filter out probable bot clicks from reports. Please note that IP suppression is strictly up to the discretion of our clients.

To add an IP address to the Ignored IPs screen, you need to enter the IP address, specify the owner or name associated with the IP address, and then click Save through Email Builder > Tools.

If you wish to ignore multiple IP addresses linked to a specific bot or security product, you can also provide an IP address range.

There are two ways to provide an IP address range

• You can use the wild card character (*) in the last segment of the IP address like so ‘123.456.789.*’ or like ‘123.456.789.01*. Any IP address that starts with the provided values will be ignored.

• You can provide a full range by using a colon (:) between the first and last IP addresses of the range. 

Once an IP address is added to the table it will become Active and clicks from that IP address will be ignored. This may take up to six hours to affect deployments. Only clicks that occur while the IP address is active in the Ignored IPs table will be ignored or considered unreal clicks. 

An IP address can be edited by clicking the IP address in the table. IP addresses in the table can also be deactivated by clicking the ‘Active’ status. Clicks from this IP after it is made inactive will be considered real clicks.

Ignoring Barracuda IP Ranges

The Barracuda IP addresses have been found to be a frequent source of unreal clicks. To ignore these IP addresses, you can add the following IP address range to the Ignored IPs table, “209.222.82.*”.

Ignoring Microsoft Defender IP Ranges

The Microsoft Defender security product will click a link when a user clicks the link, often resulting in two clicks in close succession. This can result in both clicks appearing bot-like. By adding the below IP range to the ignored IPs list, Omeda can ignore the false click and keep the real user click, “104.47.11.001:104.47.75.254”

Data Center IPs

A data center IP is an IP address that originates from a data center, as opposed to one provided by an internet service provider (ISP). These IPs are generally regarded as less legitimate than residential or corporate IPs and are frequently associated with bot clicks. The bot clicks originating from data center IPs are usually triggered by security filters designed to verify the validity of links. When an email reaches the intended recipient's inbox, the clicks generated by the actual recipients are usually associated with IPs that do not originate from the data center. Consequently, they can be included in the list of ignored IPs. Below are some examples of known data center IPs:

*We are in the process of enhancing our algorithm to more effectively identify and suppress data center clicks. Please contact your Client Success Manager for the latest updates! 

Additional Resources:

Click Bots: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Truth On a Growing Problem for B2B Marketers
Exploring the growing impact of Nonhuman Interactions (NHI) on email send metrics