What Is Invalid Clicks?
Also written as click fraud, invalid traffic, fake clicks.
Definition
Invalid clicks are clicks on your ads that do not show real interest in your business. Think accidental clicks, bot traffic or clicks made to run up your costs. Google filters them and does not bill for those it catches. A bot hitting a store's shoe ad again and again is a plain example.
Written by Christopher Krassnig, Founder & CEO of ZenoX Media. Written by the ZenoX team from the accounts we run. Definitions are general; the numbers in examples are maths, not client results.
Invalid Clicks, Explained
Google sorts these into a few groups. Accidental clicks from poor ad placement. Automated clicks from bots and other deceptive software. Manual clicks made to raise your ad costs or inflate a publisher's profits. People usually call the bad kind click fraud.
Google's automated filters remove these from your metrics and your bill. If Google finds invalid clicks after you were billed, it says you get a credit on your next invoice where appropriate and possible. You do not need to do anything for that part.
Not every bad click is invalid. A real person who clicks your dress ad, looks at the price and leaves is a valid click. Low sales are usually a product, price or targeting problem, not fraud.
A real problem looks like this. Paid clicks jump while store sessions stay flat. Spend moves to odd placements or strange hours. Compare Google's clicks with visits in your store data. If the two split and stay split, dig in and contact Google with the dates.
How We Use It at ZenoX
Fraud is rarely our first answer to low sales. We check product, price and targeting first. When clicks and real store visits split apart, we compare the two, look for the source and raise it with Google if it stays.
Questions People Ask About Invalid Clicks
Do I Pay for Invalid Clicks in Google Ads?
Google says you are not billed for invalid clicks it catches. Its filters take them out of your metrics and your bill. If it finds some after you were billed, Google says you get a credit on your next invoice where appropriate and possible.
How Can I Tell If My Store Has a Click Fraud Problem?
Compare paid clicks with real store visits over the same days. A small gap is normal. A sudden split that stays is the warning sign. No sales alone proves nothing, because real shoppers leave without buying all the time.
Related terms
- CPCCPC means cost per click.
- Click-Through RateClick-through rate (CTR) is the share of people who saw your ad and then clicked it.
- Search PartnersSearch partners are sites outside Google that work with Google to show ads tied to a person's search.
- Landing PageA landing page is the web page someone reaches after clicking your ad.
Go deeper
On the call, we look at your account live. If we can grow it, we will show you how. If we cannot, we will tell you that too, and point you at someone who can.
We work with brands serious about scale. If that is you, let's talk.
