When you look after a PPC account like Google Ads or Microsoft Advertising, you may often wonder where all of the different clicks on your keywords come from.
While the majority of clicks will come from interested customers, some clicks will come from organizations that have no interest in buying from your business at all.
In this article, we’ll take a look at what click fraud is, and the tools available to help you prevent it.
What is click fraud?
Click fraud is when people (or bots) click on PPC ads in an attempt to generate fraudulent charges. It is often referred to within Google Ads as ‘invalid activity’.
For example, let’s say Company A and Company B both use Google Ads to promote their services. Company A is outranking Company B, and Company B isn’t happy about it.
As a result, Company B repeatedly clicks on Company A’s ad. This depletes Company A’s daily budget and stops its ad from showing, meaning that Company B can take the top spot.
Click fraud can happen on a small scale, like the example above, or on a larger scale, with action from what is known as a ‘click farm’.
The frustrating thing is that you can’t tell if you’re a victim of click fraud as you can’t see where your clicks have come from. All you see is a high ad spend, and no conversions to show for it.
What can I do to prevent click fraud?
There are a few things you can do within Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising to prevent click fraud. For example, if you know the IP addresses of your competitors, you can block them so they can’t see your ads.
You can also amend your ad targeting. For example, if you think that click fraud is coming from a specific country, you can exclude that country from your campaign. The risk of this though is that you could potentially block genuine traffic.
If Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising are made aware of click fraud, they will remove any offending clicks and reimburse your account. However, this process can be very hit and miss as they will not be able to identify every suspicious click.
The best way to prevent click fraud is to use a system like ClickReport.
ClickReport and how it can help you identify click fraud
ClickReport will monitor all of your PPC advertising as well as where every click comes from. You can see what country each click has come from, alongside an IP address and referring website. This makes it easy to identify click fraud, even if a visitor’s IP address changes.
You get daily emails about who is clicking on your ads, and you can even serve warning messages to visitors who constantly click on your ads!
ClickReport will help your marketing team save valuable time and protect your PPC advertising budget – meaning that genuine customers are more likely to see your ads.
Contact us today to find out more about how we can give your business peace of mind when it comes to your PPC budget.
Tweaking your ad copy during the holiday period is a sure-fire way to encourage prospective shoppers to visit your website and make a purchase.
Here are some of our top tips for creating awesome holiday ad copy that will stop the scroll and boost your sales!
1. Add some festive fun to your writing
Adding some holiday-themed words and phrases can help your ad stand out amongst the dull and uninspiring ads out there. You’d be surprised how many businesses don’t create seasonal ads!
For example, if you sell coats, say how your coats will make going out on that seasonal walk a warm and cozy Christmassy experience. If you sell cranberry sauce, tell your prospective customer that Thanksgiving dinner just wouldn’t be the same without your brand!
Have some fun with your holiday ad copy, and don’t be afraid to get creative. Just make sure the ad copy you write is in line with Google Ad’s editorial policies.
2. Include the fear of missing out
Adding some urgency to your holiday ad copy can tempt shoppers to click on your ad and make a purchase as soon as they possibly can. Using words like ‘today’ or ‘now’ can really have an impact on your festive copy.
If you’re in Google Ads, you can even include a countdown in your ad copy which constantly counts down to a pre-defined time!
3. Add an offer
Offering shoppers a discount code or promotion will put you ahead of your competitors and give your customers an excuse to buy that product they’ve always wanted!
Google Ads makes adding offers simple by providing an extension for you to include a discount or promo code. You can set an expiry date, so your promotion will only run as long as you want it to.
In addition, you can tie these extensions into specific ads, as well as see which extensions are the most popular with search engine users.
4. Use different ad copy on mobile and desktop
You can create different ads on mobile phones and desktops. Not many people know that, so it’s a strategy you can use to your advantage.
People on mobile are more likely to be looking for something they can buy quickly, so you can provide a sense of urgency to entice them to click. Conversely, people on desktops are more likely to have done thorough research, so be sure to highlight the quality of your products.
5. Tweak your ad copy
The great thing about ad copy is that you can see how your ads are performing in comparison to your other ads. Which ads are getting the most impressions, clicks and conversions? What is the average cost per click? Are some ads more popular on mobile than others?
Check your festive ad copy on a regular basis, and don’t be afraid to make amends. The holiday season runs for six weeks, so you have plenty of time to refine your ads and make them amazing!The nights are getting colder, the air is full of the smell of cocoa, and we’re starting to plan our Thanksgiving meals. The holiday season is officially here!
The Christmas and Thanksgiving period can be a profitable time for businesses, with almost 50% of customers expecting to spend more online than they did in 2020.
If you’re looking to create a PPC holiday campaign this year, here are five festive tips for enticing shoppers to your website.
1. Don’t be afraid to up your bids
The competition will be strong during the festive period, with businesses all trying to outbid each other. This may mean your cost-per-click rate may increase. If you’re on a budget, you may want to focus on some of your strongest performing keywords, boosting the amount of money you’re willing to spend.
If you’re using search ads, try bidding on your brand name. While this tactic will cost you pennies, it will raise the price significantly for your competitors. This means they will be less likely to tempt your prospective customers away by hijacking your ads.
2. Try some festive ad copy
Rather than use the exact ad copy you use all year round, some holiday-themed ad copy can make your advert stand out and get shoppers to click.
Don’t be afraid to get creative or use the promotion extension to showcase the savings your customers can make.
Our top tip: Set an expiry date on your campaign. That way, once the holidays are over, your festive advert will stop running automatically, and you won’t have to remember to pause it.
3. Use retargeting
Retargeting ads can be a simple and cost-effective way of encouraging customers back to your site over the holiday season. If people have bought from you over the past year, they’re more likely to come back and check out your Black Friday offers.
According to Skai, your customers are 70% more likely to convert when they see a retargeting ad, leading to more sales and happy shoppers!
4. Focus on mobile
More and more people are using their smartphones to shop, with four out of five people making a purchase with their phone in the last six months. Review your campaigns on mobile to make sure they look appealing. You may want to put a bid adjustment in place to encourage mobile spending.
Don’t forget to check that your website works well on a mobile phone too. You don’t want to spend money getting people to your site, only for them to get frustrated and leave!
5. Check your stats
Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas are all constants. The dates may change, but they happen every year! This means you can check your previous stats to see whether your campaigns were successful.
You can see which keywords worked and which audiences clicked on your ads, as well as how much money you spent. This will help you optimize this year’s campaign and ensure you don’t miss out.