How does excluding bot clicks in Klaviyo affect email click rates and segmentation?

Summary

Excluding bot clicks in Klaviyo impacts email click rates and segmentation with several considerations. Initially, it seems to improve click-through rates by removing inflated metrics; however, aggressive exclusion can inadvertently filter out genuinely interested users, reducing overall engagement and audience size. A/B testing segments with and without exclusions is crucial to determine which approach yields better conversions. Analyzing performance by acquisition source helps identify channels prone to bot activity. A nuanced approach is recommended, combining bot click data with other engagement metrics like time-on-page and purchase history for more informed segmentation and frequency decisions. Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) can enrich customer profiles, reducing reliance on bot click data alone. Klaviyo's NHI detection is per event and recommends not excluding people. Finally, accurate metrics contribute to improved email deliverability.

Key findings

  • Improved CTR Initially: Excluding bot clicks initially seems to improve click-through rates by removing inflated metrics.
  • Reduced Engagement Risk: Aggressive exclusion can inadvertently filter out interested users, reducing engagement and audience size.
  • More realistic metrics: Excluding bot clicks allows marketers to work with more realistic click through rates.
  • NHI detection: Klaviyo's NHI detection is per event and recommends not excluding people but scoping it so it looks at clicks that are confirmed human.
  • Acquisition Source Impact: Performance varies by acquisition source, indicating that some channels are more prone to bot activity than others.

Key considerations

  • A/B Testing: Conduct A/B testing to determine which approach yields better conversion rates.
  • Segmentation by Acquisition: Segment by acquisition source to refine targeting.
  • Nuanced Approach: Combine bot click data with other engagement metrics for informed decisions.
  • CDP Integration: Integrate CDPs to enrich customer profiles.
  • Content Engagement: Analyse content engagement in correlation with click rates to validate authenticity of clicks.
  • Frequency Adjustments: Adjust email frequency based on engagement data to optimize campaign performance.
  • Balance Exclusion: Balance the exclusion of bot clicks with a comprehensive understanding of genuine user behavior.
  • Data Validation: Correlate Klaviyo data with external tools to validate click authenticity.
  • Monitor Metrics: Closely monitor metrics after implementation to ensure the effectiveness of bot click exclusion.
  • Consider Early Engagement: Be cautious not to exclude legitimate early engagement.

What email marketers say
12Marketer opinions

Excluding bot clicks in Klaviyo impacts email click rates and segmentation in nuanced ways. Initially, it appears to improve click-through rates by removing inflated metrics. However, aggressive exclusion can inadvertently filter out genuinely interested users who click quickly, reducing overall engagement and audience size. A/B testing segments with and without bot click exclusions is crucial to determine which approach yields better conversion rates. Segmenting by acquisition source helps identify channels prone to bot activity, improving targeting. A nuanced approach is recommended, combining bot click data with other engagement metrics like time-on-page and purchase history to make informed decisions about audience segmentation and email frequency. Customer Data Platforms can enrich customer profiles, reducing reliance solely on bot click data. Klaviyo's NHI detection is per event and recommends not excluding people but scoping it so it looks at clicks that are confirmed human.

Key opinions

  • Initial CTR Improvement: Excluding bot clicks initially improves click-through rates by removing inflated metrics.
  • Potential for Reduced Engagement: Aggressive exclusion can filter out genuinely interested users who click quickly, reducing overall engagement and audience size.
  • More realistic metrics: Excluding bot clicks allows marketers to work with more realistic click through rates.
  • NHI detection: Klaviyo's NHI detection is per event and recommends not excluding people but scoping it so it looks at clicks that are confirmed human.

Key considerations

  • A/B Testing: Conduct A/B testing with and without bot click exclusions to determine which approach yields better conversion rates.
  • Segmentation by Acquisition: Segment by acquisition source to identify channels prone to bot activity and refine targeting.
  • Nuanced Approach: Combine bot click data with other engagement metrics (time-on-page, purchase history) for informed segmentation decisions.
  • CDP Integration: Integrate Customer Data Platforms to enrich customer profiles and reduce reliance solely on bot click data.
  • Content Engagement: Analysing content engagement in correlation with click rates can validate authenticity of clicks.
  • Frequency Adjustments: After excluding bot clicks, adjust email frequency based on revised engagement data to optimize campaign performance.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum says that it's crucial to A/B test segments with and without bot click exclusions to determine which approach yields better conversion rates. If segments without exclusions generate more revenue, then those contacts should not be excluded.

August 2021 - Email Marketing Forum
Marketer view

Email marketer from Marketing Over Coffee Forum details that after excluding bot clicks, adjusting email frequency based on revised engagement data can help optimize campaign performance. Over-mailing segments with low genuine engagement can harm deliverability and unsubscribes, so tailoring frequency is important.

September 2024 - Marketing Over Coffee Forum
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailgun details that when analyzing the impact of bot click exclusions, segmenting by acquisition source can provide insights into which channels are more prone to bot activity. This helps in refining targeting and improving overall campaign performance.

August 2023 - Mailgun
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Marketing Tips Blog discusses that the blog post emphasizes that while excluding Non-Human Interaction (NHI) bot clicks can provide a cleaner view of engagement, it's essential to ensure that legitimate early clicks from highly engaged users are not inadvertently filtered out. Marketers should use a nuanced approach, combining bot click data with other engagement metrics to make informed decisions about audience segmentation.

November 2021 - Email Marketing Tips Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Growth Hacking discusses sharing tips on balancing bot exclusion and real engagement in their blog. They advise using advanced segmentation criteria beyond just bot clicks, such as combining engagement time and purchase history to refine segments.

October 2024 - Email Growth Hacking
Marketer view

Email marketer from Stack Exchange shares that using customer data platforms (CDP) alongside Klaviyo can help in enriching customer profiles with website behavior data, purchase history, and other engagement metrics. This leads to more accurate segmentation and reduces reliance solely on bot click data.

December 2023 - Stack Exchange
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks clarifies that Klaviyo's NHI detection is per event, so if a bot clicks then a human clicks, you’d see the real event in the campaign metrics. They also recommend that you should never suppress people or exclude because they have NHI activity. Instead in your segment just scope it so it looks at clicks that are confirmed human (Example: Has Clicked Email in the last X days where Bot Clicks equals false).

June 2023 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks suggests A/B testing with & without the bot-click exclusions, and incorporate conversion tracking if possible and if you make money from the segments without bot-click exclusions, then don't exclude them.

January 2022 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks says that you shouldn’t exclude anyone from the sending just when you parse your actual data for analytics, relating to opens for bot reasons.

January 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Quora shares that after excluding bot clicks, they observed a more realistic click-through rate. Previously inflated metrics led to misinformed decisions about content and timing. However, they caution against aggressive exclusion, as it can reduce audience size.

April 2024 - Quora
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Content Strategy describes that interpreting bot click data can be enhanced by analyzing content engagement. For example, correlating bot clicks with low time-on-page can validate the bot activity, while high engagement despite early clicks could indicate genuine interest.

March 2025 - Email Content Strategy
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit shares that excluding bot clicks initially seemed to improve their click-through rates, but they noticed a decrease in overall engagement as they were also filtering out genuinely interested users who clicked quickly. They now use bot click data for analysis, not suppression.

July 2021 - Reddit

What the experts say
5Expert opinions

Excluding bot clicks in Klaviyo, particularly in B2C contexts, can inadvertently remove genuine human engagement, as non-human interaction (NHI) rates are not typically high. Using bot detection data for segmentation requires careful evaluation, as over-aggressive filtering may exclude engaged users. Analyzing email performance by top domains and acquisition sources is crucial for refining targeting. Suppressing sends based on NHI data alone should be approached cautiously, as a human may still interact with the email despite initial bot activity. It's crucial to ensure legitimate early clicks from highly engaged users aren't filtered out.

Key opinions

  • NHI Overestimation: Klaviyo's bot click removal might be removing genuine human traffic, especially in B2C, where NHI rates are not typically high.
  • Segmentation Risks: Using bot click data for segmentation can be risky if Klaviyo is over-aggressive, potentially excluding real users.
  • Holistic analysis: NHI shouldn't be only thing considered for exclusion as a human may still react to mail.

Key considerations

  • Re-evaluate Segmentation: Re-evaluate segmentation strategies informed by Klaviyo's bot click data to avoid excluding engaged users.
  • Performance Analysis: Check email performance by top domains and acquisition source to refine targeting.
  • Cautious Suppression: Approach suppression based on NHI data cautiously, as human interaction may still occur.
  • Legitimate Engagement: Ensure legitimate early clicks from engaged users aren't filtered out during bot click exclusion.
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that using NHI data to suppress sends requires careful consideration, as legitimate early clicks from highly engaged users should not be inadvertently filtered out. Marketers should consider that a human may also see an react to a mail even if there is NHI traffic on the email.

April 2021 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks suggests that Klaviyo's removal of "bot clicks" might be removing some human traffic as well, as B2C mail doesn't typically have a huge problem with NHI clicks.

October 2023 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks suggests checking email performance by each of the top domains separately and also by acquisition source.

September 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks advises that if Klaviyo's bot click detection data has been used to inform segmentation, and if Klaviyo may be over aggressive, it might be worth looking at those decisions again, as it might exclude those who aren't bots.

January 2022 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that they wouldn't expect to see high NHI click rates on B2C streams and if Klaviyo have been marking a significant fraction of clicks as "bot" I'd be suspicious of their heuristics. Also, using NHI data to suppress sends requires some thought, as just because there's a NHI click doesn't mean a human doesn't also see and react to the mail.

May 2024 - Email Geeks

What the documentation says
6Technical articles

Excluding bot clicks in Klaviyo provides more accurate engagement metrics by filtering out automated interactions, preventing skewed click rates and helping marketers focus on genuine human behavior. However, it can lead to underreporting of initial engagement if legitimate users click quickly. This can cause inaccurate segmentation as you may be excluding some real users. Correlating Klaviyo data with tools like Google Analytics can help validate the authenticity of clicks and provide a balanced understanding of user behavior. By presenting a more realistic engagement picture to mailbox providers, it improves email deliverability, reducing the risk of being flagged as spam. Close monitoring of metrics after implementation is important.

Key findings

  • Improved Accuracy: Excluding bot clicks provides more accurate engagement metrics by filtering out automated interactions.
  • Risk of Underreporting: Excluding bot clicks can lead to underreporting of initial engagement if legitimate users click quickly.
  • Improved Deliverability: Excluding bot clicks can improve email deliverability by providing a more realistic engagement picture to mailbox providers.
  • Segment Inaccuracy: Bot clicks can lead to inaccurate segmentation

Key considerations

  • Balanced Approach: Balance the exclusion of bot clicks with a comprehensive understanding of genuine user behavior.
  • Data Validation: Correlate Klaviyo data with tools like Google Analytics to validate click authenticity.
  • Monitor Metrics: Closely monitor metrics after implementation to ensure the effectiveness of bot click exclusion.
  • Consider Early Engagement: Be cautious not to exclude legitimate early engagement when implementing bot click exclusions.
Technical article

Documentation from Litmus explains that accurate email metrics are crucial for making informed decisions about email marketing strategies. Excluding bot clicks helps in achieving this accuracy, although marketers should be careful not to exclude legitimate early engagement.

May 2024 - Litmus
Technical article

Documentation from Klaviyo explains that Klaviyo automatically detects and filters out bot clicks to provide more accurate engagement metrics, helping users focus on genuine human interactions. However, excluding these clicks can lead to underreporting of initial engagement if real users click shortly after a bot.

October 2024 - Klaviyo
Technical article

Documentation from Klaviyo details that if you are excluding anyone with bot clicks from your segments, you are likely excluding some real people who may have engaged quickly, meaning your segmentation might not be entirely accurate.

December 2023 - Klaviyo
Technical article

Documentation from Google Analytics shows marketers can correlate Klaviyo data with Google Analytics data to validate the authenticity of clicks. Unusual patterns such as high click rates but low website traffic may indicate bot activity, which influences segmentation and click rates.

May 2021 - Google Analytics
Technical article

Documentation from ZeroBounce explains that excluding bot clicks contributes to improving email deliverability by giving a more realistic engagement picture to mailbox providers, reducing the risk of being flagged as spam. They recommend monitoring metrics closely after implementing such exclusions.

October 2023 - ZeroBounce
Technical article

Documentation from Email Analytics Pro details that bot clicks can significantly skew click rates, making campaigns appear more successful than they are. Excluding these can provide a more accurate view of human engagement, but should be balanced with understanding user behavior.

June 2021 - Email Analytics Pro Documentation