What Is Click Fraud? How to Reduce Fake Clicks on Google Ads

In today's online advertising market, many competitors use click fraud to "play dirty" and take positions in Google Ads. So what is click fraud? How can you limit fake clicks? In today's article, MONA Media will give you the answers so you can control and prevent click fraud effectively, so keep reading.

What is click fraud? Common types of click fraud 

What is click fraud? Why has it become a "plague" for online ad campaigns? Put simply, click fraud means invalid clicks that bring no real value to the advertiser. They are usually made by bots or competitors, and come from unfair competition.

Fake clicks not only waste budget but also hurt the performance of your Google Ads campaign. Instead of attracting potential customers, click fraud produces low-quality visits, which reduces your ability to reach your target audience. 

According to data from a study in 2016 it was estimated that marketers in the US lost about $7.2 billion to fraudulent clicks from bots, causing serious damage to budgets and campaign performance.

Today there are two common types of click fraud:

• Click fraud by tool (click fraud software): Usually competitors use automated tools or software to click your ads, increasing invalid clicks and reducing the performance of your ad campaign.
• Click fraud by hand: People with no need for your product or service click your ads manually, usually with bad intent and no plan to buy.

Signs of click fraud you need to know

When you start run ads on Google, knowing the signs of click fraud is an important skill that protects your ad budget and optimizes campaign performance. Here are some signs worth watching, from MONA:

Click fraud causes a sudden spike in impressions

A sudden jump in the impressions chart is a sign to watch. When the graph suddenly starts to climb and quickly rises above previous days, the spike may signal click fraud, which makes your ad campaign unstable. To protect your budget and keep campaign performance steady, watch for these signs so you can control fake clicks.

Invalid clicks rise abnormally

To check this metric in your ads, go to the Campaigns tab, thenchoose the "Performance" column and then select "Invalid clicks”.

If you see an abnormal increase in the "Invalid clicks" column of your ads, that is usually a strong signal that click fraud is affecting your ads.

Many consecutive IPs appear

When you see many an IP address in a row, such as 123.4xx, 123.5xx, 123.6xx, that is a clear sign your ad campaign has a problem. A cluster of similar IP addresses means you are being hit by click fraud. You can check using IP tracking tools such as Hitstast or Analytics.

Many unfamiliar keywords appear

Many unfamiliar keywords showing up in an ad campaign is also a typical sign of click fraud. These keywords are usually unrelated or do not reflect what customers actually need. So when you run Google Ads, check carefully and find the cause to limit click fraud on your ads

Effective ways to prevent click fraud

The spread of click fraud reflects growing unfair competition in the ad market. To protect your campaigns and keep Google Ads effective, preventing fake clicks is essential. Here are some ways you can apply:

Send a support request to Google

When you run into trouble while advertising, sending a support request to Google is an effective option. Google has a professional support team ready to help. Once it receives your report, Google will look after your account and give detailed guidance to resolve click fraud effectively. For Google Ads accounts, Google also provides support from specialists for 3 months to make sure you get the best help.

To do this, follow MONA's steps below: 

• Go to Google's ad manager, click the gear icon and choose "Help”.
• Send your request to Google, keeping it short, clear and focused on the specific problem.

Block fake-click IPs with automated tools

To stop click fraud on Google Ads, using automated tools to block IPs is an effective and low-cost method. Identify the IP addresses that often click your ads without real search intent, then block them to protect your ad budget. Or you can do it manually: in Google Ads, choose the campaign where you want to block IPs and click "Settings” -> “IP exclusions” -> “Edit”.

These automated tools can collect IPs with abnormal behavior that do not match your target audience, then automatically block them in your Google Ads account settings. This helps businesses reduce click fraud risk and save up to 90% of the budget in each ad campaign.

Split your budget and campaigns to block fake clicks

Splitting budgets and campaigns is an effective way to improve performance and reduce risk. By running campaigns at different times of day or by geographic area, you can manage your budget more flexibly and effectively. 

Monitor campaigns to identify the time slots or areas at high risk of click fraud, then adjust bids or remove them smartly. The principle "Don't put all your eggs in one basket" matters not only in business but also in Google Ads, helping you optimize your budget and get the best results.

To lower bids or adjust time slots, follow these steps:

• Go to https://ads.google.com/ and choose a campaign, then open the tab Locations / Ad schedule / Devices.
• Select the row you want to change in the "Bid adjustment" column. You can choose "Decrease" with the value "100%" to remove this target completely.

Use long-tail keywords

Uses long-tail keywords is a smart strategy in online advertising. These Google Ads keywords focus on details of the product or service and reflect exactly what users are searching for. This helps your ads reach the right target customers, increases the chance of conversion and improves campaign performance.

You should choose phrase match and exact match to narrow the scope and clearly define a specific audience. This protects your ad budget and keeps your Google Ads campaign effective.

Filter ad placements 

When setting up a Google Ads campaign, filtering ad placements can be an effective strategy to prevent fake clicks and optimize campaign performance. If you notice locations where click fraud often appears, you can remove them from your placement list. 

In particular, highly competitive areas such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are often hot spots for click fraud. This way, you can focus your resources and budget on specific target locations, increasing the chance of reaching the right audience and improving ad performance. To do this, follow MONA's steps:

• Choose a campaign, then open the tab Locations.
• Enter the ad location you want to exclude (by radius) then click “Save”.

Exclude visitors who leave the site quickly using Google Analytics

To exclude unwanted visitors who leave your site quickly, you can use Google Analytics and set up cookies to create exclusion lists. People who click an ad and leave the site right away usually have no real need for your product or service. They may be competitors or non-potential customers. How to do it:

Step 1: Link your Google Ads account with Google Analytics

Step 2: Create an audience of visitors with a session time under 9 seconds by:

• In Analytics, open the tab Admin, choose "Audience definitions / Audiences" in the property column -> click "+ New audience”. 
• Choose the view and destination account, then choose "Next step” -> “Create new”.
• Choose “Behavior” -> “Session duration" and enter the number of seconds you want, then "Apply”.
• Set the membership duration and look-back days for the audience, then save.
• Once created, this audience group will appear in the list.

Step 3: Block the audience you just created

• Go to the tab "Audience” -> “+ Remarketing”.
• Choose the campaign, then click "Interests and remarketing", select the remarketing list and click "Save" to finish the process.

Fight click fraud with Remarketing Search

Another effective way to fight click fraud is Remarketing Search. This ad strategy targets users who have clicked your ad before. When they search again, you set a lower bid so your ad does not show to people who have already clicked it.

With a Remarketing, you can deal with competitors' click fraud effectively. Instead of staying in the top position and being an easy target for competitors, your ad will appear in a lower position, reducing the risk of fake clicks and the damage from improper activity.

>>See also: Latest Google Ads policy

How does Google prevent click fraud?

In its effort to prevent click fraud on the Google Ads platform, Google has rolled out several notable solutions. One of the most effective is showing the number of invalid clicks in your ad campaign. At the end of the campaign, Google uses this number of invalid clicks and the bid per click to calculate and refund the matching amount to the advertiser.

This solution not only protects advertisers' interests but also reduces the loss of ad budget. However, note that although Google refunds the money, it cannot fully stop ad budget from being spent unnecessarily. So staying alert and taking preventive measures remains necessary when running campaigns on Google Ads.

Which software blocks fake clicks?

As click fraud becomes more common and causes many problems for advertisers, using anti-click-fraud software is one of the key ways to protect your budget and improve ad performance. However, there are many different anti-fake-click tools on the market, and choosing the one that fits your business is important. 

Among them, these tools stand out:

• Google Ads Click Fraud Protection: An app developed by Google that offers a range of useful features to prevent and limit click fraud.
• ClickCease: This is software developed by a third party that detects and blocks fake clicks in online ad campaigns.
• TrafficGuard: A solution that automatically detects and blocks fraudulent actions in online ad campaigns, including click fraud.

There are many other anti-click-fraud tools as well. However, as of now no software can block 100% of fake clicks, but these tools are still considered practical and effective solutions worth considering.

In addition, finding and using a reputable Google Ads services is another smart option. Experienced specialists can help limit up to 99% of fake clicks, while also optimizing conversions and delivering the best results for your ad campaign. And if you are still undecided, take a look at Google advertising services at MONA Media.

With many years of experience in online advertising, MONA is committed to delivering effective ad solutions that minimize click fraud and improve conversions. With MONA's service, you can be confident your campaign is managed professionally and effectively, saving budget and reaching your business goals.

Specifically, when you choose Google Ads at MONA, you are assured of the following:

• Reaching customers who actually have a need
• Increase traffic to your website
• Increase ROI by 200% with Google Ads
• A detailed Google Ads plan
• Campaign management and optimization
• Regular, detailed project reports

CONTACT with MONA via hotline 1900 636 648 today to experience Google Ads services quality and succeed in your ad campaign.

In short, click fraud on Google Ads is a serious problem for advertisers, putting their budgets and campaign performance at risk. To protect yourself from the negative effects of click fraud, preventive measures and anti-click-fraud software are essential. Through this article, MONA Media hopes to have answered some of your questions about preventing click fraud on the market today. Don't let fake clicks cost you the chance to succeed. Work with MONA for strong, lasting ad results.