Cloudflare report reveals global internet internet traffic grew 19% in 2025 - but a lot of it was just bots

Cloudflare's report revealing a 19% growth in global internet traffic in 2025, with a significant portion attributed to bots, highlights the ongoing challenge of "volatile crawling activity" for website owners. This means that website owners are facing increased pressure to distinguish between legitimate user traffic and bot-generated traffic, which can lead to inflated analytics, slowed website performance, and potential security vulnerabilities. The rise in bot traffic can also lead to increased costs for bandwidth and infrastructure, making it essential for website owners to implement effective bot management strategies. To address this issue, website owners can take several actionable steps: firstly, they can utilize Cloudflare's bot management tools to identify and filter out malicious bot traffic. Secondly, they can implement a robust llms.txt file to specify which parts of their website are off-limits to crawlers, reducing unnecessary bot traffic. Lastly, website owners can monitor their website's traffic patterns and analytics to detect and respond to potential bot-related issues, ensuring a more secure and efficient online presence.