I use AdWords to promote my law firm website, and personal injury is one of the more expensive topics for this type of advertising. I review my statistics regularly and noticed an anomaly one day. Down below is my e-mail exchange with AdWords (from Google), but first a brief summary.
One day, I got three clicks from the same IP address who searched for exactly the same phrase, "personal injury settlements". Two of the clicks were within 90 seconds of each other, and the third was later the same day.
I felt, and still feel, that I should not have been charged three times for these clicks. Google responded by asserting that this behavior was consistent with "comparison shopping", which does not make the clicks invalid.
I find a couple of things troubling about this. First, Google essentially puts the burden of proof on the customer. But Google has far more information than we do, and they certainly don't provide their analysis. For example, Google certainly knows what other ads the user clicked on, and also knows what non-ads he/she clicked on too. I can't know that.
Second, Google has decided on its own what constitutes an "invalid click". I suspect most people will agree with me that I shouldn't have to pay three times to get clicks from the same person. By adopting this particular policy, Google is actually encouraging click fraud - as long as you make your clicks look like "comparison shopping."
Third, many AdWords advertisers are less sophisticated and cannot easily access their server logs and find the suspicious transactions.
Fourth, just from a customer service perspective, you would think they'd go with the "customer is always right" approach on this one. I spend over $1000 a month on AdWords. This is the second or third time I've inquired about something like this in maybe three years, and the amount in question is less than $50. It's very important for Google that advertisers have confidence in the PPC (pay-per-click) business model. And wouldn't you think that after the third e-mail from me, the issue should have been kicked up to a supervisor? Anyway, the exchange of e-mails follows:
[Me to AdWords: Fri, 23 Mar 2007]
I received 3 clicks on four impressions on the keyword "personal injury settlements" on March 21, 2007. This seems highly unlikely to have been three separate individuals and seems highly likely to represent click fraud. I had no other impressions for that phrase in the past 7 days, and my average position was 6.5. These seem likely to be bogus clicks.
[Google/AdWords Response]
... After thoroughly reviewing your account, we did not find any evidence suggesting that invalid clicks have been charged to your account. The clicks your ads received appear to fit a pattern of normal user behavior.
Warren, please keep in mind that Google looks at numerous data points for each click, including the IP address, the time of the click, any duplicate clicks, and various other click patterns. However, if you notice click activity that doesn't fit your usual patterns, please keep in mind that individual users may legitimately click on your ad more than one time when
comparison shopping or returning to your site for more information. Please know that our system analyzes numerous factors to isolate and filter out invalid clicks.
Google considers security for AdWords advertisers a top priority, and we will continue to monitor all clicks on your ads to prevent abuse. For more information about our invalid click policies, please visit https://adwords.google.com
Sincerely,
Jerry -- The Google Click Quality Team
[My next message to them, on 3/30]
After receiving your response, I asked my brother (who runs our server)
to find the server log entries on these clicks. The info is below.
Since they are from the same ip address, with the same operating system
(and an unusual one at that -- Windows NT 5.1), same browser, etc., and
since two of the clicks were within 90 seconds of each other (and the
third within one hour), I hope AdWords
will reconsider and at the very least drop the charges for two of the
three clicks. Given the hassle, I think it would be more reasonable to
credit me for all three.
[Response from AdWords/Google - this is long and I am editing heavily for brevity]
As you know, each click on an AdWords ad is examined by our system. Google looks at numerous data points for each click, including the IP address, the time of the click, any duplicate clicks, and various other click patterns. Our system then analyzes these factors to isolate and filter out invalid clicks.
Regarding your concern about receiving more than one click from the IP address [omitted] on the same day, please keep in mind that individual users may legitimately click on your ad more than one time when quickly comparison shopping or returning to your site for more information. Please know that comparison shopping represents a legitimate user accessing your advertisement in expected ways. In addition, please know that Windows NT 5.1 is better known as Windows XP which is a popular operating system. Clicks made with this type of OS are not automatically considered invalid. Invalid clicks may include the following:
Manual clicks intended to increase your advertising costs or to increase profits for website owners hosting your ads.
Clicks by automated tools, robots, or other deceptive software.
Warren, please know that the security of Google AdWords advertisers is a top priority for Google, and we dedicate a number of resources to click protection strategies. Below please find some additional information on how we monitor for invalid clicks. [Omitted]
[My response on 4/2]
Just want to make sure I understand Google's position. You assert that
this may have been a user engaging in "comparison shopping." Presumably
Google can determine whether that user clicked on any other comparative
sites to determine whether this was legitimate comparison shopping. Has
Google done so in this case?
[Google Response]
There are several valid reasons for an ad to receive multiple clicks from a single source. Comparison shopping is one of the possible scenarios that may explain legitimate users accessing your advertisement in expected ways.
Google's proprietary technology analyzes clicks in an attempt to determine their validity. The goals of our system are to automatically identify invalid clicks generated by users and automated robots and to filter out these clicks before they ever reach your reports. We look for invalid clicks that fit a pattern intended to artificially drive up an advertiser's clicks or a publisher's earnings. Our system analyzes numerous data points for each click, including the IP address, the time of the click, any duplicate clicks, and various other click patterns. The clicks by IP [omitted] appeared to fit a pattern of normal user
behavior.
Additionally, after another thorough review of your account, we did not find evidence suggesting that invalid clicks have been charged to your account. However, if you have additional information that suggests invalid click activity, please send it to us and we'll be happy to reinvestigate.
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