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The AdProtektor Blog

Better questions. Better paid-traffic decisions.

Plain-English guides and sourced research on how click fraud works, what it costs, and how to stop it on Google Ads and Meta — written by the team that builds the detection engine.

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Google Ads

Google Ads IP exclusions: two lists, 500 addresses each

Two lists, 500 addresses each, and campaign types the campaign list can't reach. How to spend the slots, with a free tool that turns pasted addresses into a ready list.

5 min read
Google Ads

Google Ads refunds for invalid clicks: what Google credits, and how to ask for a review

Most invalid clicks never reach your bill, and some are credited later. Where to see both, when to ask Google for a review, and what to send.

6 min read
Google Ads

Fake leads from Google Ads: where they come from, and how to keep them out of your bidding

A fake lead costs the click, the follow-up and the bidding it teaches. What Google covers, what it leaves to your site, and what helps.

6 min read
Google Ads

Performance Max and bot traffic: the controls you actually have

IP and placement exclusions reach Performance Max only at account level. What each control covers, its limits, and the one that matters most: the conversions it learns from.

6 min read
Google Ads

Should you turn off Google search partners?

Google itself says partner clicks may not always be highly targeted. How to judge them on your own conversions, the three ways to act, and how to keep them off.

5 min read
Guides

Bot traffic in GA4: how to spot it, and what to do about it

GA4's bot filter only knows known bots, and an engaged session can still be a bot. The signs to look for, the limits of GA4's filters, and where bot traffic costs you most.

5 min read
Guides

Traffic from Ashburn, Virginia: why your analytics shows it, and what to do

Ashburn is where some of the largest cloud regions run, so a wave of visitors from there is usually automation. How to check the addresses, what GA4 can filter and how to keep it off your ads.

5 min read
Guides

GA4 traffic from China and Singapore: what it is, and what to do

Since October 2025, GA4 properties everywhere have shown Direct sessions from Lanzhou and Singapore that do nothing. What it is, why blocking China doesn't always help, and how to check whether it reaches your ads.

5 min read
Google Ads

The same IP keeps clicking your Google Ads: what it means and what to do

One address can be many people or one honest buyer, and Google may not have billed you at all. Three questions that sort it out, and what to do with the answer.

5 min read
Google Ads

Clicks, but no leads: what to check first

Five checks that tell a broken form, a measurement gap and suspicious traffic apart, so you fix the problem you actually have.

4 min read
Guides

WooCommerce card testing attacks: what they are and how to stop them

WooCommerce's own developers say rate limiting slows card testing but doesn't stop it, and it ships switched off. The layers that work together, and a short checklist.

5 min read
Google Ads

Does Google protect you from click fraud? What it covers, and what it leaves to you

Google catches some click fraud and doesn't bill you for it. Where its protection stops, and an afternoon's test to see whether your account needs more.

5 min read
Guides

Microsoft Ads click fraud: how IP exclusions work, and how to spend 100 slots

Microsoft Advertising gives you 100 IP exclusions per campaign, not 500 per list. What it offers, how to choose what goes in, and what to check first.

4 min read
Guides

Click fraud glossary

Invalid clicks, IVT, GIVT and SIVT, click farms, fingerprinting, GCLID: the terms around click fraud, each in a few plain sentences.

9 min read
Guides

Your weekly paid-traffic review: six questions before changing the budget

Review lead quality, suspicious traffic, protection status and conversion delivery before your next campaign budget change.

4 min read
Guides

Clixtell vs ClickGuard: which job do you need done?

A practical comparison of two tools: what their product pages say, what to verify in a demo and how to evaluate them on your own campaigns.

5 min read
Guides

How to check whether your Google Ads clicks are real: a 10-minute audit

Ten checks in Google Ads, your analytics and your own lead records that show whether paid clicks behave like real customers.

8 min read
Click Fraud

Is a competitor clicking your Google Ads?

Investigate suspicious repeat clicks without assuming every returning visitor is a competitor.

4 min read
Click Fraud

Click fraud on Facebook and Instagram ads

Meta protection uses audience exclusions, with matching and processing limits that differ from Google Ads IP exclusions.

4 min read
Guides

The best Triple Whale alternative for non-Shopify stores

A practical checklist for choosing conversion tracking that fits your platform and reporting needs.

4 min read
Guides

Why conversion totals differ across your platforms

Different totals do not automatically mean broken tracking. Separate attribution differences from missing or duplicated events.

4 min read
Click Fraud

IP blocking vs. person-based detection

IP exclusions provide an enforcement tool; identity and behavior signals add context when deciding what to block.

4 min read
Guides

How to stop click fraud on Google Ads

A practical sequence for investigating suspicious traffic and putting appropriate automated protection to work.

4 min read
Industry

Click fraud statistics in 2026: what the numbers actually tell you

Before applying an industry percentage to your budget, check its year, source, sample, channel and denominator.

4 min read
Click Fraud

What is click fraud? A complete guide for advertisers

A plain-English explanation of click fraud — what it is, the five types, who does it, what it costs, and how modern detection actually stops it.

4 min read
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