WP Engine Enhances Global Edge Security With Bot Management to Control AI-Driven Website Traffic

Web teams gain deeper visibility, flexibility, and control over unwanted bots to adapt to evolving automated traffic across the Intelligent Web

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--WP Engine, a global web enablement company providing premium products and solutions for websites built on WordPress®¹, today announced Global Edge Security (GES), powered by Cloudflare, now has customizable bot management functionalities that give web teams deeper visibility to control and adapt to unwanted bot traffic as they adapt to the Intelligent Web.

AI agents, crawlers, and automated systems together make it harder to detect threats, manage performance, and control resource costs to mitigate malicious activity across the modern web. With 76% of traffic unverified, GES’ bot management prioritizes intelligent traffic management so web teams proactively control unwanted bot traffic, instead of simply monitoring it.

“Automated traffic is becoming more difficult to manage as AI systems, bots, and human visitors increasingly blend together. Web teams need clearer insight into traffic behavior and the flexibility to respond quickly without adding operational complexity,” said WP Engine CTO Ramadass Prabhakar. “WP Engine mitigated 75+ billion bot requests on our platform last year alone, and recognizes bot management is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Global Edge Security now has the flexibility web teams need to create, test, and adapt bot management strategies as the market and AI activities fluctuate.”

As unwanted bot traffic and threat vectors evolve daily, one-size-fits-all and DIY bot management approaches are not sustainable. GES’ bot management combines managed security services with customizable controls to help web teams detect, classify, and manage bot traffic across regions, categories, and traffic types. Bot management configurations can go live the same day, giving web teams a pulse on activity to mitigate active threats sitewide with a single toggle.

“AI-driven traffic introduces a new layer of complexity for websites because not all automated activity behaves the same way, and not all of it is necessarily malicious,” said Cloudflare, Inc. Vice President of Product Michael Tremante. “The challenge is helping web teams distinguish bot traffic, and within that good from bad, without slowing performance or increasing operational overhead. Tools like GES’ bot management help turn website traffic data into action, so teams can focus on running and growing their sites.”

The added bot management tooling works collectively to strengthen existing GES security and bot mitigation functionalities (managed WAF, advanced DDoS protection, image optimization, global CDN), so web teams have visibility at all times and can adapt their bot strategies as traffic patterns fluctuate. GES’ bot management brings:

• Customizable Access Rules: Control how automated traffic is handled by category or region to reduce unwanted activity and tailor protections to business needs.
• Instant Lockdown: Instantly activate “Under Attack” mode with a single click during active threats to strengthen defenses without waiting on support teams.
• Edge-Side Optimization: Improve site speed and reliability with edge caching and automated optimizations that reduce infrastructure strain and management overhead.

For digital agencies, the expanded capabilities reduce time spent on managing website performance and security issues while opening new bot management service offerings. With just a few clicks, eCommerce teams can activate strategies to better manage harmful bot activity without disrupting legitimate shoppers.

“Agencies are increasingly expected to help clients navigate a web environment that’s becoming harder to interpret and manage,” said Amsive Director of Web Development Mark Davoli. “What stands out about WP Engine’s GES expansion is the ability to quickly see unwanted bot activity actually happening across a site and take action without adding technical overhead. For agencies managing multiple client environments, that means less time reacting to traffic and security issues and more time improving client performance, protecting revenue, and driving growth.”

GES’ bot management is available today. To request a demo or start getting protected with Global Edge Security, click here.

About WP Engine

WP Engine empowers companies and agencies of all sizes to build, power, manage, and optimize their WordPress websites and applications with confidence. The global technology company serves and powers more than 5 million sites, providing premium, enterprise-grade solutions, tools, and services, including specialized hosting platforms for websites built on WordPress, industry-tailored agency solutions, and developer-centric tools like Advanced Custom Fields, NitroPack, Local, and more. Innovative technology and industry-leading expertise are why Pandora, Experian, Equifax, VMware, HubSpot, and Dell choose WP Engine. Learn more at wpengine.com.

^[1] The WordPress® trademark is the intellectual property of the WordPress Foundation. WP Engine is not endorsed or owned by, or affiliated with, the WordPress Foundation.