How To Prevent Click Fraud In Your PPC Advertising
As a top ppc agency in Los Angeles we provide highly effective PPC advertising services to many successful businesses in many industries. We have been managing Google Ads for over 15 years. That said, we wanted to share our recommendations to business owners who are struggling to increase revenues with Google Ads.
Often times you are enjoying the fruits of a highly effective PPC campaign. Your digital efforts are paying off with a consistent flow of website visitors and new business. Your keyword game is on point, and then out of the blue, your campaign takes a wild turn. Your budget starts evaporating by noon each day.
You’ve just encountered Google’s dirty little secret: Click Fraud.
But what is click fraud, exactly? Click fraud is a $10B industry and Google often looks the other way (e.g., their secret search partners). It’s a deceptive practice where individuals click on your ads with zero interest in your offerings. They’re not potential customers; they’re sabotaging your campaigns by eating up your daily budget so your ads stop running that day. This allows their ads to flourish in that particular targeted city. This isn’t just a minor nuisance; it’s a full-blown attack on your marketing strategy.
Now, you might be thinking, “Isn’t it normal for people to click and then leave a site quickly?” Sure, that can happen. Someone might realize your product isn’t what they’re after and bounce back. But when this behavior becomes a pattern, and the amount of time spent on your site is often less than four seconds, you are likely facing click fraud.
How You Can Spot Click Fraud in PPC Advertising
Here’s where some detective work comes in handy. Keep an eye out for repeat clicks from similar IP addresses. If you see the same IP Addresses clicking, its likely a competitor trying to eat up your daily ad budget. Also, watch for your budget getting gobbled up unusually fast. If it seems out of the ordinary, it’s time to raise an eyebrow. Let’s not forget data anomalies. Does your traffic data look off? For instance, a sudden surge of clicks from an area you don’t even target.
How To Prevent Click Fraud in PPC Advertising
Now, you might be wondering, how you can prevent click fraud. While it’s tough to eliminate it entirely, there are ways to play defense in your PPC campaigns.
- Fine-tuning your targeting can make a world of difference.
- Regularly monitoring of your campaigns is crucial to catching the fraudsters.
- Proper geo targeting, blocking cities, states and countries from seeing your ads. Some countries with the highest bot traffic include Russia, Poland & India.
- Enable IP exclusions. Take note of repeat IP Addresses and block them. Use a reputable PPC Agency in Los Angeles, like eMaximize that does this for you.
Despite your best efforts, click fraud will still be a part of your campaigns. Google releases almost zero information about what they do to prevent click fraud. It’s a frustrating reality in the PPC world. Here is an official statement from Google.
Our dedicated Ad Traffic Quality Team uses live reviewers, automatic filters, machine learning, and deep research to detect and filter as much invalid and fraudulent activity as possible.
That’s great but there is never a report of how many clicks they blocked or any refunds to your account. They also never disclose the websites on their Search Partner Network. These are often low quality, fraudulent websites that Google shows their ads and some of your ads too. See chicken.com, a google search partner.
As we mentioned, a quality Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency will reduce click fraud exposure as much as possible, like we do for our clients. This allows your campaigns to be more efficient and drive quality leads and purchasers to your website. We are diligent, alert and stay informed to keep your campaigns secure.
Summary
If you’re business is ready to achieve sustainable growth with a top Los Angeles digital marketing agency with a proven track record, then you came to the right place. eMaximize has been at the forefront of Digital Marketing since 2008. We create results driven strategies that truly move the needle for your business and give you a long lasting competitive advantage. In addition, we are typically faster, better and cheaper than our competition, because we are structured that way.
If you are ready to get started, kindly send us a note or give us a call and we can start your free analysis and show you how eMaximize can significantly increase your revenue, like we do for all our clients!
Thank You!
