Frequently Asked Questions

ClickFortify protects your Google Ads from click fraud using AI-powered detection. Our system analyzes click patterns, IP addresses, and behavioral data in real-time, blocking suspicious traffic within 50-100 milliseconds. We integrate via secure OAuth to provide protection beyond platform filters, stopping bot traffic, invalid clicks, and competitor attacks before they waste your budget. Industry research shows click fraud wastes 10-30% of ad spend globally.

Yes, ClickFortify offers a 7-day free trial with no credit card required. You get full access to real-time click fraud detection, fraud analytics dashboard, automations, and email support. You can protect unlimited Google Ads campaigns. Many users see results within 48 hours. Visit our pricing page to start your free trial.

ClickFortify provides 24/7 email support (4-hour response for Enterprise, 12-hour for Pro, 24-hour for Starter), live chat Monday-Friday 9 AM-6 PM EST, phone support for Enterprise customers, comprehensive knowledge base with 100+ articles, video guides, and dedicated account managers for Enterprise. All customers receive onboarding support.

Getting started takes less than 10 minutes:

Click fraud in Google Ads is artificial or malicious clicking activity on paid ads by bots, competitor clicks, click farms, VPN / proxy networks, or incentivized human traffic. It happens when invalid users repeatedly trigger ad clicks without purchase intent, inflating CTR, draining daily budget caps, and corrupting conversion signals. Common sources: automated scripts, competitor monitoring behavior, data center IP ranges, residential proxy pools, and spoofed devices. Industry studies show 10–30% of PPC spend is lost to invalid traffic unless proactive Google Ads click fraud protection is implemented.

Detect invalid traffic by monitoring abnormal CTR spikes without corresponding conversion lift, repeated rapid clicks from the same IP ranges, high impression-to-click volatility, disproportionate traffic from data center ASNs, high bounce rates from single-page sessions, and suspicious time-on-site under 2 seconds. Use Google Ads click fraud detection logs, server-side tracking, bot traffic fingerprinting, and real-time anomaly scoring. AI-powered click fraud prevention software automates VPN detection, device pattern clustering, and competitor click suppression saving 15–30% ad spend.

Block competitor click fraud by implementing dynamic IP exclusions in Google Ads, setting frequency caps per IP/device, geofencing low-value regions, filtering known data center networks, and using automated real-time blocking automations. Add server-side logging of user agents and referrers, identify repeat non-converting sessions, and feed exclusions to Google Ads. Dedicated click fraud protection platforms maintain rotating blacklists, competitor intent models, and automated enforcement—preventing fake clicks before budget depletion.

You can reduce VPN / proxy click fraud by detecting autonomous system numbers (ASNs) tied to hosting providers, flagging IPs with high latency + low engagement, scoring residential proxy networks, and rejecting traffic lacking stable device fingerprint signals. Advanced Google Ads click fraud protection identifies proxy rotation patterns and applies real-time exclusions. While full elimination is impossible, layered detection blocks 80–95% of high-risk anonymized traffic before it impacts ROAS.

Google Ads issues automatic credits for some invalid clicks after internal review, but its baseline filter only catches basic duplicate clicks and obvious bots (roughly 30–50%). Refunds are retrospective—meaning wasted spend occurs first. To maximize recovery, maintain IP / session logs, annotate conversion anomalies, and submit evidence via Google Ads support when large spikes occur. Proactive click fraud prevention software prevents budget leakage upfront, reducing reliance on post-charge refunds and improving net ROAS.

Absolutely. The Starter plan ($8/month) is designed specifically for small budgets. Businesses spending $500-$1,000 monthly typically save $100-$300 monthly through fraud blocking—delivering 12-37X ROI. Small budgets often face higher fraud rates because they attract less platform scrutiny, making protection even more critical.

We do not immediately cancel your protection. If you cancel, your current subscription lasts until the end of your billing period. After that date, your subscription is revoked. Previously applied exclusions remain in your Google Ads campaigns until you manually remove them. Historical fraud data and reports remain accessible for 90 days post-cancellation for analysis and documentation purposes. You can reactivate at any time to resume protection.

Yes, even though conversions may take weeks or months, fraud wastes budget immediately and corrupts data throughout the cycle. B2B companies often face higher fraud rates due to expensive keywords attracting more fraud, and competitor clicking is endemic in B2B markets. ClickFortify protects budget, ensures clean lead data for sales teams, and prevents fake form submissions from wasting sales resources.

The fraud prevention landscape has evolved dramatically over the past two years. AI-powered fraud has reached sophistication requiring AI-powered detection—simple rule-based systems no longer catch significant fraud. Platform proliferation across TikTok, CTV, retail media, and emerging channels means fraud prevention must span more environments than historical Google and Facebook focus. Privacy regulation implementation forced fundamental methodology shifts from third-party tracking to first-party data and server-side verification. The regulatory environment around AI and data usage creates compliance requirements that didn't exist in 2024-2025. Fraud operations professionalized further with service providers, marketplaces, and sophisticated infrastructure rivaling legitimate businesses. The most significant shift involves moving from reactive fraud detection to proactive prevention architecture. 2024-2025 focused on identifying and blocking fraud after it occurred. 2026 emphasizes designing campaigns, landing pages, and tracking systems inherently resistant to fraud, complemented by detection systems catching what prevention misses. This architectural approach proves more effective than detection-only strategies.

ClickFortify uses AI and machine learning to monitor every click across your campaigns. Our system analyzes 200+ data points including IP reputation, device fingerprinting, and click velocity. When suspicious activity is detected, we automatically block traffic within 50-100 milliseconds before it becomes a billable event. ClickFortify detects 85-95% of fraudulent clicks compared to Google Ads' Invalid Traffic filter which catches only 30-50%.

ClickFortify supports Google Ads with comprehensive protection for all campaign types including Search, Display, Shopping, and Video ads. We offer native API integration via secure OAuth that works with Google Ads tracking systems. Our unified dashboard lets you monitor and protect all your Google Ads campaigns from one interface.

ClickFortify blocks fraudulent clicks in real-time, typically within 50-100 milliseconds of detection. This prevents damage to your ad budget because clicks are stopped before registering as billable events. Our AI-powered system uses edge computing and predictive algorithms to identify threats proactively. ClickFortify operates 24/7 with 99.9% uptime. By comparison, Google Ads' Invalid Traffic filter processes clicks after they've been charged.

ClickFortify detects and blocks 15+ types of fraud including bot traffic, click farms, competitor attacks, VPN-based fraud, data center traffic, residential proxy networks, device fingerprint spoofing, behavioral anomalies, and suspicious IP clusters. Our system maintains a 97% accuracy rate with less than 0.1% false positive rate. The system analyzes 200+ data points per click and cross-references against global threat intelligence databases.

On average, ClickFortify customers save 15-30% of their advertising budget, with some high-fraud industries saving up to 45%. Industry research shows click fraud wastes 10-30% of digital ad spend globally. For a business spending $10,000 monthly on Google Ads, ClickFortify typically saves $1,500-$3,000 per month ($18,000-$36,000 annually). ClickFortify provides detailed ROI reports showing blocked clicks and estimated cost savings.

No technical knowledge required. Setup takes less than 10 minutes:

Yes, ClickFortify integrates with 50+ analytics tools including Google Analytics 4, Adobe Analytics, Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft Power BI, Tableau, and Zapier. Our RESTful API allows you to pull real-time fraud detection data, blocked click statistics, and ROI metrics into your existing dashboards. ClickFortify supports webhook notifications and data exports in CSV, JSON, and Excel formats.

ClickFortify provides comprehensive reporting through an intuitive dashboard including real-time fraud detection metrics, blocked click statistics, cost savings calculations, and ROI analysis. ClickFortify generates automated daily, weekly, and monthly reports via email, and supports custom reports with date ranges and campaign filters. All reports export in PDF, CSV, Excel, or JSON formats. Enterprise plans include custom reporting templates and API access.

Yes, ClickFortify is designed for digital marketing agencies managing multiple client campaigns. Agency features include white-label branding, multi-tenant account management, role-based access control, client-specific dashboards, automated client reports, and unified billing. ClickFortify allows agencies to manage unlimited client accounts from one dashboard. Enterprise agency plans include dedicated account management and priority support.

ClickFortify offers superior click fraud detection compared to Google Ads' Invalid Traffic filter. While platform filters catch basic invalid traffic (typically 30-50% of fraud), ClickFortify detects 85-95% of fraudulent clicks by analyzing 200+ data points versus platforms' limited 10-20 point analysis. Key advantages include cross-platform protection, advanced AI algorithms, real-time blocking, automations, and detailed fraud analytics. Google Ads' Invalid Traffic filter processes clicks after they've been charged, meaning you may pay for fraudulent clicks before Google refunds them.

Yes, ClickFortify provides extensive customization options including IP address whitelisting and blacklisting, geographic filtering, device and browser filtering, frequency caps, behavioral automations, and custom scoring thresholds. ClickFortify's automation builder uses an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, making it easy for non-technical users. Advanced users can create automations via RESTful API. All automations can be applied globally or to specific campaigns.

ClickFortify uses sophisticated AI algorithms with a 97% accuracy rate and less than 0.1% false positive rate. If legitimate traffic is accidentally blocked, ClickFortify provides immediate whitelisting options through our dashboard where you can whitelist specific IPs, IP ranges, domains, or geographic regions. The whitelist takes effect immediately, and our system learns from your corrections. ClickFortify also offers a 'Learning Mode' for new accounts that monitors traffic for 7 days before applying blocking automations.

To stop click fraud on Google Ads, use automated click fraud prevention software like ClickFortify. Our Google Ads fraud detection system blocks invalid traffic, prevents fake clicks on ads, and stops competitor clicks automatically. The best click fraud protection for Google Ads includes real-time blocking, AI-powered detection, and automated click fraud prevention. ClickFortify's click fraud protection for Google Ads works 24/7 to block bots, fake clicks, and invalid traffic before they waste your budget.

ClickFortify is the best click fraud protection software for Google Ads, offering AI-powered Google Ads fraud detection, real-time blocking, and automated click fraud prevention. Unlike other solutions, ClickFortify provides superior protection at a fraction of the cost ($29/month vs $79-99/month). Our click fraud protection for Google Ads includes advanced bot detection, competitor click blocking, and comprehensive Google Ads fraud detection analytics.

Google Ads fraud detection works by analyzing click patterns, IP addresses, device fingerprints, and user behavior in real-time. ClickFortify's Google Ads fraud detection uses AI-powered algorithms to identify bots, click farms, VPN traffic, and competitor attacks. Our automated click fraud prevention system blocks suspicious clicks within milliseconds, preventing fake clicks on ads and protecting your Google Ads budget from invalid traffic.

To prevent fake clicks on ads, use ClickFortify's automated click fraud prevention system. Our click fraud protection software blocks bots, competitor clicks, and invalid traffic in real-time. The best way to prevent fake clicks on ads is through AI-powered detection, automated blocking, and comprehensive click fraud analytics. ClickFortify's automated click fraud prevention ensures your Google Ads only receive genuine, high-quality clicks.

Yes, ClickFortify is an excellent alternative to other click fraud protection solutions, offering superior AI-powered click fraud protection at significantly lower cost. ClickFortify provides better Google Ads fraud detection, unlimited websites on Professional plans, and a 7-day free trial. ClickFortify offers more features, better pricing, and advanced AI detection capabilities compared to traditional solutions.

Protection activates within minutes of completing setup. Real-time fraud blocking begins immediately after connecting your Google Ads account and installing tracking. Automated exclusions start pushing to your campaigns within 2-3 minutes of fraud detection. Full protection ramps to maximum effectiveness within 24-48 hours as the system learns your specific traffic patterns.

Yes, ClickFortify complements platform filters and can run alongside other protection systems. However, most businesses find ClickFortify's comprehensive six-layer protection eliminates the need for additional solutions while costing significantly less than premium alternatives.

Your dashboard provides detailed reports showing exactly how many fraudulent clicks were blocked, which sources they came from, and precisely how much budget was saved. These reports export as PDFs for presentations or sharing. Most businesses see measurable fraud detection within 24-48 hours and substantial budget savings by week one—making value obvious and documentable.

ClickFortify is fully GDPR compliant with enterprise-grade security. Campaign data is encrypted in transit and at rest, never shared with third parties, and accessible only to your authorized team members. ClickFortify accesses only the data necessary for fraud protection—we never access billing information, payment methods, or sensitive business data. Full security documentation available at clickfortify.com/data-security.

ClickFortify provides comprehensive protection across all Google Ads campaign types: Search, Display, Shopping, Video, Performance Max, Discovery, Demand Gen, and App campaigns. Universal coverage ensures your entire Google Ads presence is protected regardless of campaign structure or type.

Currently, ClickFortify specializes in Google Ads protection where we deliver the most mature and comprehensive fraud prevention. Meta platform support is on our roadmap for 2026. However, website traffic monitoring works for all platforms—you can see fraud from any source, even if automated blocking is currently Google Ads-specific.

Industry averages suggest 15-25% of PPC budgets are wasted on fraudulent traffic. For competitive industries like finance, legal, and tech, this can reach up to 40%. This waste comes from bot traffic, competitor clicks, and sophisticated fraud rings that generate fake clicks and impressions.

While 100% elimination is technically impossible due to the evolving nature of fraud, comprehensive protection significantly reduces it to negligible levels (<1%). By combining platform settings with advanced third-party protection like ClickFortify, you can block the vast majority of fraudulent activity and recover wasted budget.

Running automated bidding on campaigns with high fraud rates is dangerous because algorithms may optimize for cheap, fraudulent conversions. We recommend cleaning your traffic with fraud protection before enabling aggressive automated bidding strategies to ensure the algorithm learns from genuine user data.

Signs of competitor fraud include sudden spikes in CTR without conversion increases, repeated clicks from the same geographic area (often where a competitor is based), and clicks occurring at regular intervals or specific times of day. Our system detects these patterns automatically and blocks competitor IPs.

Ask your agency what specific fraud protection measures they have in place beyond the platform's default settings. You can insist on using third-party verification tools. ClickFortify offers agency-friendly features that allow you to invite your agency to view reports while you maintain control of the account protection.

Yes, fraud rates vary by platform. Display networks typically have the highest fraud rates (20-35%) due to the vast number of publisher sites. Search ads generally have lower rates (10-20%) but higher costs per click. Social platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn fall in the middle but face unique challenges with fake profiles and bot farms.

Appropriate fraud prevention budgets scale with advertising spend and sophistication requirements. Small businesses spending under $10,000 monthly should allocate $50-200 monthly for basic detection tools, sufficient for entry-level protection. Mid-market advertisers spending $10,000-100,000 monthly should budget $500-3,000 monthly (0.5-3% of spend) for comprehensive detection and ongoing management. Enterprise organizations exceeding $100,000 monthly advertising should invest $2,000-10,000+ monthly (2-5% of spend) in advanced fraud prevention including enterprise detection platforms, dedicated personnel, advanced analytics infrastructure, and ongoing optimization. This investment typically delivers 5-15× ROI through direct fraud savings and efficiency improvements. Calculate appropriate budgets by estimating fraud exposure, targeting 80-90% fraud reduction (not 100% which becomes economically inefficient), comparing fraud prevention costs against estimated savings, and factoring indirect benefits from data quality and optimization improvements. Organizations typically find that 2-5% of advertising budget invested in fraud prevention represents optimal spend level maximizing net returns.

Yes, though strategies differ based on scale. Small businesses can't match enterprise fraud prevention budgets but can achieve high protection levels through focused tactics including selecting fraud detection tools designed for small business scale and pricing, implementing high-impact free techniques like IP exclusions and placement blocking, focusing protection on highest-value campaigns rather than attempting comprehensive coverage, and leveraging platform features like Google's invalid traffic filtering maximizing value from built-in protections. Click Fortify offers small business packages providing enterprise-grade detection at accessible price points, democratizing advanced fraud prevention. The platform's tiered pricing ensures businesses of all sizes access sophisticated machine learning detection rather than accepting inferior protection due to budget constraints. Small businesses often achieve better fraud prevention ROI than enterprises because they can implement changes faster without bureaucratic overhead, maintain tighter control over fewer campaigns enabling closer monitoring, pivot strategies quickly when identifying fraud, and often face less sophisticated fraud due to smaller target attractiveness. These advantages partially offset resource constraints.

Executive buy-in requires translating technical fraud concepts into business impact language. Present fraud prevention business cases emphasizing direct budget waste quantified in dollar terms, competitive disadvantage from operating less efficiently than protected competitors, risk mitigation preventing budget loss and reputation damage, and growth enablement through confident scaling on clean data. Calculate and present specific ROI projections for fraud prevention initiatives. Conservative estimates showing 5× ROI convince risk-averse leaders while aggressive 10-15× projections motivate growth-focused executives. Include both direct savings from prevented fraud and indirect benefits from improved campaign performance and data quality. Frame fraud prevention as revenue generation rather than cost control. Position it as enabling confident budget increases rather than simply reducing waste. Leadership responds more enthusiastically to growth opportunities than defensive measures. Explain how fraud prevention enables scaling advertising safely by creating performance predictability necessary for confident budget increases. Provide competitive intelligence showing how peer companies or competitors investing in fraud prevention achieve better performance. Leadership often responds to competitive pressure more than abstract arguments. Industry benchmark data demonstrating fraud's widespread impact validates this isn't a niche concern but mainstream business challenge requiring attention.

Discovering competitor click fraud requires careful documentation and strategic response. Begin with comprehensive evidence gathering including detailed traffic logs showing repeated access from competitor IPs, search term reports revealing competitor brand searches, timing patterns suggesting deliberate campaigns, and financial impact calculations quantifying damages. Document everything with screenshots, data exports, and written analysis. Implement immediate protective measures blocking identified fraud sources, adjusting campaigns to reduce exposure, implementing enhanced fraud detection focusing on suspected competitor fraud patterns, and preserving evidence should legal action become necessary. Protection takes priority over investigation. Consider graduated response escalating based on fraud severity and evidence strength. For minor fraud with uncertain attribution, simply block and monitor without direct confrontation. For moderate fraud with reasonable confidence, consider informal communication (carefully worded to avoid defamation) or cease-and-desist letter from attorney. For severe fraud with strong evidence, consult counsel about civil litigation for damages. Report to advertising platforms regardless of other actions, submitting comprehensive documentation through official reporting channels, following up regularly on investigation status, and providing additional evidence as requested. While platform responses are often disappointing, systematic reporting creates pressure for action and documents the fraud for potential legal proceedings. Focus energy primarily on prevention rather than punishment. Even with strong evidence, legal action is expensive, time-consuming, and uncertain. Most businesses conclude that investing in robust fraud prevention delivers better returns than pursuing litigation after fraud occurs. However, well-documented evidence and willingness to pursue legal remedies sometimes deters competitors when communicated appropriately through legal counsel.

Click Fortify distinguishes itself through several key capabilities particularly relevant in 2026's complex fraud environment. Proprietary AI algorithms analyzing over 400 behavioral and technical dimensions achieve detection accuracy exceeding 94% with false positive rates below 0.8%—industry-leading performance verified through independent testing. Industry-specific fraud models provide customized protection rather than generic detection. The platform maintains specialized models for e-commerce, lead generation, SaaS, healthcare, financial services, and other verticals, each trained on fraud patterns specific to those industries. This specialization dramatically improves accuracy over one-size-fits-all approaches. Client-specific machine learning means detection algorithms train on your specific traffic patterns rather than just industry averages. The platform learns what your genuine customers look like and detects deviations from those patterns with precision generic systems can't match. This personalization improves accuracy by 15-30% over generic detection. Privacy-first architecture designed for cookie-less environments provides robust protection despite third-party tracking deprecation. The platform emphasizes server-side signals, first-party data enhancement, and contextual fraud detection methodologies compliant with global privacy regulations including GDPR, CCPA, and emerging standards. Comprehensive platform coverage extends protection across Google Ads, Meta, TikTok, CTV, retail media networks, and emerging platforms through unified detection infrastructure. Most competitors focus on Google Ads with limited capabilities elsewhere. Click Fortify provides consistent protection across your entire advertising ecosystem. Expert human oversight supplements AI detection with fraud analysts reviewing edge cases, investigating unusual patterns, and providing strategic guidance. This combination of advanced AI and human expertise delivers protection exceeding purely automated solutions while remaining scalable for organizations of all sizes.