AI bots drive 80% of web traffic, increasing costs for website owners

By PulseAugur Editorial · [1 sources] · 2026-06-12 00:45

AI bots now constitute 80% of internet traffic, yet provide little to no SEO benefits for website owners. This surge in bot activity is increasing operational costs for website owners, with some experiencing a doubling of their expenses. To mitigate these issues, researchers propose strategies such as blocking unidentified crawlers or adopting paid access systems for AI companies. AI

IMPACT Website owners face increased costs due to AI bot traffic, prompting a need for new access control strategies.

RANK_REASON The item discusses the impact of AI bots on web traffic and costs, offering commentary and proposed solutions rather than a new release or event.

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Mastodon — fosstodon.org TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] · 2026-06-12 00:45

AI bots now account for 80% of web traffic but offer minimal SEO value in return. Website owners are footing the bill for AI companies to train their models, wi

AI bots now account for 80% of web traffic but offer minimal SEO value in return. Website owners are footing the bill for AI companies to train their models, with some sites seeing costs double. Researchers suggest blocking unknown crawlers or implementing paid access models. htt…

LINKS searchenginejournal.com/…/579018

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AI bots now account for 80% of web traffic but offer minimal SEO value in return. Website owners are footing the bill for AI companies to train their models, wi

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