The eminence of click fraud has been growing pretty eminently since the last decade. And, we have found spam clicking to be the most frequent option amongst them.
However, let us be clear about something – click spamming is nothing new, especially in today’s world of advanced technology.
Nonetheless, alongside this technique, the prominence of click fraud malware has also increased to some extent. This, in turn, has turned the heads of many people and made them a little worried about their projects.
So, like others, are you, too, worried about spam clicking?
Then, you have come to the right place. In this article, we have discussed –
- What is Google spam clicking?
- How does it work?
- How to prevent Google click fraud?
So, without making any further ado, let’s begin our journey right away!
What Is Spam Clicking?
Otherwise known as click flooding, click spam is a form of online fraud.
In this case, mobile websites or apps utilize inbuilt malware to flood download links and ads to generate clicks automatically. This procedure can work even when you have kept an app running in the background.
If not stopped, spam clicking can hijack authentic user behavior and affect the regular working procedure of Google crawlers. Moreover, as a type of organic poaching, this procedure can be used to install other apps organically.
Besides paying fraudsters, click spammers can also massively distort the usual market data. For example, it can trick marketers into considering the referrals and clicks to be positive, while they are entirely fraudulent in reality.
How Does Spam Clicking Works? (In Apps And Websites)
The procedure of spam click is pretty straightforward. We have explained in bullet form to help you understand everything better.
- As a user, you have downloaded an application (with an in-built click spammer) from a website or downloadable link.
- Due to having the click spamming module, the app starts using as many fast-clicking methods as possible to generate clicks automatically.
In some cases, this type of fraud coding can also prompt unauthorized in-app purchases from your account. So, if you are not careful, you may end up losing your money too!
But how do you understand if there’s a spam clicker at work inside the downloaded app?
Usually, an app created with this specific coding usually cannot be stopped from working. Even if you have exited the application, you will see that it’s still running in the background. So, in that case, you will need to uninstall it to stop the clicks.
Spam clickers can be found exploiting Google Adwords as well. They will enter your website and keep clicking on the ads to make you lose your money through the PPC method. It can affect both your marketing strategy and advertising budget massively.
How To Prevent Google Click Fraud?
In this section, we will talk about how you can prevent Google fraud from clicking by yourself. However, before we do so, let us tell you a little about what’s Google doing in this aspect.
The anti-click fraud program of the search engine is pretty robust if we’re being honest. Here’s what it includes –
- Google uses an automated detection system (enticed with complex algorithms and machine learning) to uncover unauthorized clicks in real-time. It, in turn, helps in filtering out the malware programs quickly and eliminating them.
- Various investigations are also made by Google to report fraud clicking activities. However, the procedure is usually done a little less frequently.
- The Ad Traffic Quality Team of Google monitors and evaluates web traffic to find out irregularities properly. If they find anything of suspicion, they tend to report fraud to Google right away and let it take care of the issues.
However, as a user, you cannot always rely on Google. So, make sure to take the following steps to avert this issue successfully.
The DIY Route To Success – Internal Reporting
In essence, internal reporting is the best way to prevent the Google Adwords scam successfully. In order to do so, you will need to collect the following information accordingly:
i. IP Address
Every internet user has a unique IP address to track your web-related activities. So, when you are visiting a website, the owner or webmaster can follow its trail to find out more about you.
ii. Action Timestamp
It refers to the period when a visitor or user of your website has performed an action on your website. It can help you notice when they are clicking on your ads.
iii. Click Timestamp
It offers information about when someone enters your website after clicking on your ad. You may check if someone with the same IP address is entering your site frequently or not.
iv. User-Agent
With User-Agent, you can find out the browser an individual is using when they are clicking on your ad or entering the website.
Did you get all the information, then?
Brilliant!
Now, let’s use the action timestamp and click timestamp together. It will allow you to find out the IP addresses that are visiting your website or clicking on your ads repeatedly.
Did you find out any user who has a lot of timestamps but is yet to take any action (check action timestamps to know more)?
That’s a possible click fraud!
Now, we’d ask you to look at the user agent. With it, you can check what device, software, and browser the click spammer is using. In short, it’ll be possible for you to confirm if the person (with the IP) is the same individual or not.
Once you authenticate the IP address, you should report it straight to Google. The team will investigate and take care of the issue eventually.
Preventing Click Fraud On AdWords – A Step-By-Step Guide
The process of internal reporting for spam clicking is pretty time-consuming, as you have to do it manually for every user. So, make sure to follow these tips if you want to make your job a little easier.
Suggestion – 1: Set Up IP Exclusions
Do you know about the fraud IP addresses that are swarming your AdWords procedure? If so, you can exclude or block them entirely. Here’s how you can do the same from your Google Ads account –
- Visit the “settings” tab and tap on the ad campaign that’s getting affected due to spam clicking.
- Now, you will need to go to “advanced settings” and click on “IP exclusions.” Tap on “edit” afterward.
- Jot down the names of the offending addresses (you can add around 500 of them per campaign).
- Click “save.”
And, that’s the “job done” for you! From now onwards, Google will avoid showing your websites to these IP addresses altogether.
Remember: Make sure to exclude only those people who are repeatedly clicking on your ads. If someone is tapping once or twice on your ads, they might be your potential customers. So, do not ban them from Google AdWords.
Suggestion – 2: Adjust Your Ad Targeting To Specific Nations
Are your ads’ spam clickers coming from a specific geographical region or country? In that case, you should make one or two minor tweaks to weed them out. And the strategy may include adjusting your ad targeting to some particular nations.
Sometimes, click fraudsters tend to hire real people to do the “dirty work” for them. In most cases, they’ll not belong to the same city, but their general geographical location would be similar (like cheap-labor countries).
Hence, we’d ask you to do some research on this aspect and exclude the potentially-dangerous nations. If you suspect your market rival to be the fraudster, make sure to remove their postcode as well!
Suggestion – 3: Opt For A Click Fraud Protection Service
If you want to ease your way out, you can always hire a click fraud protection service provider for your purpose. They can deploy various methods and make sure that your ads are not being targeted by others. While you’ve to invest a little in this aspect, it will help you save a lot of your time.
Suggestion – 4: Only Opt For High-Value Websites
According to reports, most spam click bots tend to target low-quality websites, as they have a less-prominent security system. Hence, if you are offering your ads to these websites, you could end up becoming their prey.
Due to this reason, you should always opt for a high-end website. Before placing your ad, make sure to check if the site has an excellent domain rating and authority or not. This way, it will be easier for you to differentiate between the worst and the best options.
Suggestion – 5: Monitor Your Campaigns
Monitoring your PPC campaign is pretty essential in case you want to know if it’s bringing you genuine visitors or not. For example, if you’re using Google AdWords, we’d ask you to check Account Performance and Campaign Performance for finding invalid clicks.
The more such clicks you have on your website, the higher your chances of getting frauded becomes. You can avert this issue by manually disabling those IP addresses. You may also get a support ticket from Google to avoid paying for invalid or spam clicks.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Over To You!
As mentioned before, the procedure of spam clicking is pretty straightforward. Hence, it can happen to you or anyone else using the Google AdWords program. Due to this reason, you will need to b aware of everything and take the correct measures whenever required.
Here’s a recap on how you can get started with it –
- Exclude potentially dangerous IPs by finding out the correct information on them.
- Tweak your ad targeting procedure a little.
- Place your Ads on the high DR and DA websites.
- Hire a click fraud protection service provider for your purpose.
- Keep the performance of your PPC campaigns in check.
Don’t have enough time to perform all these tasks?
In our opinion, running Google Ads campaigns can be pretty tricky and time-consuming. So, if you end up focusing on it only, it’ll be impossible for you to improve the core essence of your business.
What’s the solution, then?
Well, you can always collaborate with a PPC agency or SEO agency to reduce a little bit of pressure from your shoulders. This way, it will be easier for you to make your campaigns successful and prevent click frauds efficiently. Besides, you can also avoid black-hat tactics and make your organizational revenue grow organically.
Good luck!
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