How Accurate is Bot Detection?
Understanding our detection methods and accuracy rates
Quick Answer
99%+ accuracy for major AI bots (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, GoogleBot-AI, etc.) through user agent detection.
We use multiple detection methods to ensure reliable tracking while respecting user privacy.
Our Detection Methods
Multi-layered approach for maximum accuracy
User Agent String Detection
The primary and most reliable method. Each AI bot identifies itself with a unique user agent string.
Examples:
GPTBot/1.0 (+https://openai.com/gptbot)ClaudeBot/1.0 (+https://anthropic.com/bot)PerplexityBot/1.0 (+https://perplexity.ai/bot)Accuracy: 99%+
Official bots always identify themselves correctly
Referrer Analysis
Detects when users arrive from AI chat interfaces (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity).
Tracked Referrers:
- • chat.openai.com (ChatGPT)
- • claude.ai (Claude)
- • perplexity.ai (Perplexity AI)
- • you.com (You.com AI Search)
Accuracy: 95%+
Relies on browsers sending referrer headers
Behavior Pattern Analysis
Backup method that identifies bot-like behavior patterns.
- Rapid page crawling patterns
- No JavaScript execution
- Systematic URL access patterns
Supplementary Method
Used when user agent is unclear or missing
Accuracy by Bot Type
GPTBot (OpenAI)
ChatGPT's web crawler
99.8%
Verified
ClaudeBot (Anthropic)
Claude's web crawler
99.5%
Verified
Google-Extended
Google's AI crawler
99.7%
Verified
PerplexityBot
Perplexity AI crawler
99.3%
Verified
AI Referrer Traffic
ChatGPT, Claude users
95%
Browser-dependent
Privacy-First Approach
What we DON'T track
We don't track human visitors
Our script only logs bots and AI referrers, not regular users
No personal data collection
We don't collect names, emails, or personal information
No cookies for tracking
Session-based detection, no long-term tracking
GDPR & CCPA compliant
Bot tracking doesn't require consent notices
False Positives & Negatives
False Positives (Very Rare)
Incorrectly identifying a human as a bot: < 0.1%
Could happen if a user manually sets a bot-like user agent (extremely rare in practice).
False Negatives (Minimal)
Missing a bot visit: < 1%
Could occur if:
- New bot with unknown user agent (we update regularly)
- Bot masquerading as a regular browser (unethical, very rare)
- Script blocked by ad blocker (affects all analytics)
Continuous Improvement
We continuously monitor and update our detection algorithms:
Trust Our Detection
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