This article provides information about bot scans — what they are, why they occur, and how to exclude them from QR code analytics in Scanova. This is useful for campaign managers and marketers who want accurate scan data.
Bot scans are QR code scans triggered by automated software, not real people. Scanova detects these using device type identification and flags them separately as BOT traffic in scan data.
A. What Are Bot Scans
When a QR code URL is crawled, previewed, or tested by automated tools, it registers as a scan in analytics. Common sources of bot scans include:
- Search engine crawlers indexing the destination URL (e.g., Googlebot, Bingbot)
- Security scanners checking URLs for malware or phishing
- Link preview tools generating previews when a URL is shared on messaging or social platforms
- Uptime monitors periodically pinging URLs to check availability
- QR testing tools used during campaign setup and quality assurance
Some common examples of bots seen in scan data:
- Googlebot, AhrefsBot, Semrushbot — SEO crawlers
- Twitterbot, Slackbot — link preview generators
- Pingdom, UptimeRobot — monitoring tools
B. Impact on Scan Data
Bot scans inflate the Total Scans count, making it harder to measure real user engagement accurately. For QR codes deployed on high-traffic pages or shared widely online, bot scans can make up a significant portion of scan data.
C. Excluding Bot Traffic
Scanova provides an Exclude bot traffic filter on the analytics page. When this filter is enabled, all metrics — including scan breakdowns by date, location, device, and OS — reflect human scans only. This gives a cleaner view of actual campaign performance.
To enable the filter, navigate to: Analytics > Filters > Exclude bot traffic
If you have any questions, you can see more topics in this knowledge base or reach out to the customer relations team at support@scanova.io.