Google has updated its Traffic Quality site with new text and policy visuals

One example of invalid traffic is the use of deceptive elements on a web page in a way that a user is tricked into clicking on an ad that they didn't expect to click on.

Chat with SearchBot

Google has just announced an update to their Invalid Traffic site.

What is Invalid Traffic. Invalid Traffic is “any activity that doesn’t come from a real user with genuine interest. It can include accidental clicks caused by intrusive ad implementations, fraudulent clicking by competing advertisers, advertising botnets and more.”

What Google says. The site revamp was announced on Twitter by Google Policy Transparency staff member Aurora Morales.

Invalid Traffic examples. In their update, Google provides 12 examples of Invalid Traffic but adds that this is not an exhaustive list.

  • Accidental clicks
  • Ad hiding
  • Ad stacking
  • Clickjacking
  • Pop-under ad

Why we care. Invalid traffic affect Google AdSense, Ads Manager, and mobile apps. Advertisers who consistently see increased clicks, lower CTR, or suspect that their ads are being clicked by bots or competitors may see their ad spend decrease as Google works to stop the fraud and lessen the costs to account holders.


Contributing authors are invited to create content for Search Engine Land and are chosen for their expertise and contribution to the search community. Our contributors work under the oversight of the editorial staff and contributions are checked for quality and relevance to our readers. The opinions they express are their own.


About the author

Nicole Farley
Contributor
Nicole Farley is the founder of Web Sprout, an inbound marketing agency. She formerly was PPC Editor for Search Engine Land (from 2022-2023), covering paid search, paid social, Google Analytics and more. In addition to being a Marine Corps veteran, she has an extensive background in digital marketing, an MBA and a penchant for true crime, podcasts, travel, and snacks.

Get the newsletter search marketers rely on.