If you are one of the many businesses out there that use Google AdWords to promote your website, you have read that Google takes proactive measures to ensure you are not billed for any invalid clicks on your Campaigns.
According to Google, by definition:
Invalid traffic includes both clicks and impressions on AdWords ads that Google suspects to not be the result of genuine user interest. This covers intentionally fraudulent traffic as well as accidental clicks and other mechanically generated traffic. Although advertisers are not charged for these clicks or impressions, this traffic may still result in valuable site visits and conversions.
This is comforting to know that Google has your back to combat these clicks, but have you ever wondered exactly how many they are finding for your Campaign? Here’s a simple fix to show you exactly how many Invalid Clicks are being excluded from your Campaign proactively.
- Log in to your Google AdWords account
- Select the “Campaigns” tab (if it is not already selected by default)
- Under the tabbed navigation, click on Columns > Customize Columns
- Under “Select Metrics”, choose Performance and scroll down to find Invalid Clicks
- Click on the “Add” link next to the Invalid Clicks option (should change to “Added”)
- Click Save
You will now see a column listing the Invalid Clicks you received during the time period you have selected.
While this should not be your only method of monitoring your AdWords Campaigns for invalid or fraudulent activity, it is nice to see that Google is doing their part to help your budgets stretch a little bit further to reach your targeted audience.
