Click on a section below to view it
1. Click "Manager Home Screen" and then click "Create New Click Tracker" button.
2. Choose the General Settings for your click tracker:
These instructions help you install your PPCSecure tracker at the Account level in AdWords. This will allow one PPCSecure tracker to track all clicks from every campaign, ad group, ad, and sitelink/extension in your entire AdWords account.
Step 1: Login to adwords.google.com and click the "Overview" Tab. Then click "Settings".
Step 2: Click "Account Settings" and then click "Tracking Template URL".
Step 3: Enter your PPCSecure Tracking URL into the field and click Save.
Step 4: Click "Auto-Tagging" and turn it on by checking the box and then click "Save".
These instructions help you install your PPCSecure tracker at the Campaign level in AdWords. This will track all clicks from every ad group, ad, and sitelink/extension ONLY WITHIN THE CAMPAIGNS WHICH IT IS INSTALLED.
DO NOT CONTINUE IF YOU HAVE ALREADY INSTALLED PPCSECURE TRACKING URL AT THE ACCOUNT LEVEL IN ADWORDS
Step 1: Login to adwords.google.com and click the "Overview" Tab and then the "Settings" Tab
Step 2: Click "Campaign Settings" Tab.
Step 3: Scroll down and click the checkbox next to the Campaign you want to edit. Then click "Edit".
Step 4: From the dropdown that appears, click "Change Tracking Template".
Step 5: Enter the new PPCSecure Tracking URL in the tracking template field. Then click "Apply".
Step 6: Click the "Overview" Tab. Then click "Settings".
Step 7: Click "Auto-Tagging". Then check the box and click "Save".
These instructions help you install your PPCSecure tracker at the Ad level in Bing.
Step 1: Login to Bing Ads Manager and click the "Campaigns" Tab. Then click "Shared Library".
Step 2: Click "URL Options". Then enter your Tracking URL into the field. Also, check the MCLID checkbox. Finally, click "Save".
You can easily change an existing click tracker anytime by clicking "Manager Home" and then clicking the pencil icon next to the click tracker you wish to edit. The instructions for editing are identical to those for creating a new tracker (above), except that you DO NOT need to make any changes to the tracking URL we originally gave you. The same tracking URL you entered into Googlee first time will still work. Any edits you make will be automatically applied.
To view all the data collected by your click tracker, visit the Manager Home screen. Then click the magnifying glass next to the click tracker you want to view more data about.
Once you're on the click tracker view screen, you can filter by date using the date picker at the top of the screen. Enter a start and end date and click "Apply". To clear the dates and see all data, simply click the "Clear" button.
You can sort the data by whatever field you wish. To sort the data, simply click the header for that column. Example: If you want to sort by Remote Host, simply click the word "Host" at the top of the column and all data will be sorted by host. By default, the list is sorted by date.
Here are the fields you will be able to view and what they mean:
IP Address - We show you the IP address we collected when the visitor clicked your ad. This address is unique to a single computer on the internet. Click the IP Address to see additional details such as city, state and number of clicks. At this time, we use only IPv4 addresses.
Host Name - This is the NAME of the remote computer that clicked on your ad. If no name is available, N/A will appear, or the IP address of the host may appear.
Port Number - This is the port number being used on the remote computer.
Cookie ID - When a person clicks your ad, we may place a tracking cookie on their computer to help identify them when they return to your website. This ID number is the one collected from the cookie when the person returns to your website. It helps prove a user is the same user even if they change their IP address, port, host, etc.
Referrrer - This is the URL or page the person was referred to your website from. Example: If a person is clicking your ad from a page at bing.com, this referrer field may say "https://www.bing.com/".
Browser - This is the browser the person was using when they clicked your ad. Examples: Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, etc.
Platform - This is the operating system of the machine the person was using when they clicked your ad. Examples: Windows 8, Linux, Macintosh OS X, etc.
Date/Time - This is the date and time of the click, converted into your local time (based on the time zone you chose when setting up the click tracker).
To view all the data about a specific IP address, click on that IP address while you are on the Tracker View screen. This will take you to the IP address details screen, which will show you additional details such as the City, State, Country, Zip Code and total number of clicks for the specific IP Address.
Once you're on the IP details view screen, you can filter by date using the date picker at the top of the screen. Enter a start and end date and click "Apply". To clear the dates and see all data, simply click the "Clear" button.
You can sort the data by whatever field you wish. To sort the data, simply click the header for that column. Example: If you want to sort by Remote Host, simply click the word "Host" at the top of the column and all data will be sorted by host. By default, the list is sorted by date.
WARNING: Deleting a click tracker is an irreversible process! We cannot retrieve click reports or tracker information once you have deleted the tracker. If you still want to proceed, here are the instructions:
1. Click Manager Home. Then click the Red X next to the click tracker name you wish to delete.
2. Confirm you want to delete by choosing 'Yes' from the menu and then clicking the red "Delete Tracker" button.
Before you delete a tracker, please make sure that there are no Google or Bing Ads currently pointing to the tracking URL associated with that tracker. If you forget to remove the URL for this tracker from an ad, your site visitor will see a "Page Not Found" error when they click on the ad.
NOTE: Deleting a campaign does NOT mean you have cancelled your PPCSecure account. Your account is still active and will continue to be billed until you cancel using the method described in the Terms of Service.
You may use a single PPCSecure tracker with many different landing pages. To do this, just add your final landing page URL after the '&url=' in the tracking link we give you.
For Google AdWords, the url={lpurl} will AUTOMATICALLY populate, so you don't need to specify individual landing pages. Whichever landing page is defined for the ad or keyword in Google AdWords will automatically populate the url= at the time of the click.
For Bing, Yahoo or any other service, replace the {lpurl} with your exact landing page.
Example: 'ppcsecure.com/track.php?id=123&url=http://www.yourwebsite.com/landingpage' will send the clicker to yourwebsite.com/landingpage. Make sure the domain is properly typed, including either http:// or https://.
If you wish to receive triggered alert notifications via your cell phone using text messages, you must provide us with your cell number in an email address format (SMS). Typically, this will be your phone number (without dashes or spaces) at a domain name provided by your service provider. Below, we provide a list of common providers and their domains. This list is not guaranteed to be accurate and you should always check with your provider to determine the proper settings for texting your moblie device.
Example: If your number is 303-555-1212, and you use Verizon, your text address would be: 3035551212@vtext.com
WARNING: Although PPCSecure provides text service at no additional charge, your mobile provider may bill you additional charges for using text messages. PPCSecure is not responsible for these fees. Check with your provider to determine the cost of using text messaging on their network BEFORE you use such services.
U.S. providers and their domains:
| Alltel | @message.alltel.com |
| Amp'd Mobile | @vtext.com |
| AT&T | @txt.att.net |
| Boost Mobile | @myboostmobile.com |
| Cingular | @mobile.mycingular.com |
| Cricket | @mms.mycricket.com |
| Einstein PCS | @einsteinmms.com |
| Nextel | @messaging.nextel.com |
| Sprint | @messaging.sprintpcs.com |
| SunCom | @tms.suncom.com |
| T-mobile | @tmomail.net |
| VoiceStream | @voicestream.net |
| US Cellular | @email.uscc.net |
| Verizon | @vtext.com |
| Virgin | @vmobl.com |
Canadian providers and their domains:
| Rogers Wireless | @sms.rogers.com |
| Fido | @fido.ca |
| Telus | @msg.telus.com |
| Bell Mobility | @txt.bell.ca |
| Kudo Mobile | @msg.koodomobile.com |
| MTS | @text.mtsmobility.com |
| Presidents Choice | @txt.bell.ca |
| Sasktel | @sms.sasktel.com |
| Solo | @txt.bell.ca |
| Virgin | @vmobile.ca |
International providers and domains:
| Kapow (UK) | @kapow.co.uk |
| Bouygues (FR) | @mms.bouyguestelecom.fr |
| SFR (FR) | @sfr.fr |
| China Mobile | @139.com |
| CSoft (UK) | @itsarrived.net |
| Essendex (UK) | @echoemail.net |
| MediaBurst (UK) | @sms.mediaburst.co.uk |
| My-Cool-SMS (UK) | @my-cool-sms.com |
| Orange (UK) | @orange.net |
| TxtLocal (UK) | @txtlocal.co.uk |
| UniMovil (UK) | @viawebsms.com |
| Virgin (UK) | @vxtras.com |
| Telekom (DE) | @t-mobile-sms.de |
| Vodafone (DE) | @vodafone-sms.de |
| O2 (DE) | @o2online.de |
| E-Plus (DE) | @smsmail.eplus.de |
| Esendex (AU) | @echoemail.net |
| Telestra (AU) | @sms.tim.telstra.com |
| Optus Zoo (AU) | @optusmobile.com.au |
| UTBox (AU) | @sms.utbox.net |
| Vodafone (NZ) | @mtxt.co.nz |
| Vodafone (NZ) | @sms.vodafone.net.nz.com |
| Telecom (NZ) | @etxt.co.nz |
Determining which click activity is fraudulent can be complicated. So, we have provided several guidelines below to help you decide whether or not click fraud is happening on your advertising account.
1. Is this normal click activity?
There are many types of unwanted click activity that you may experience. The first is comparison shoppers. People like to get the best deal possible. This means they will frequently comparison shop between you and your competitors by clicking on your ads numerous times over the course of days or weeks.
Even though comparison shopping is normal activity, you still may wish to track and block it. Example: If you are selling a $15 product, but your clicks are $3 each, 5 clicks from a single shopper would completely negate any profit. So, you might want to block the clicker after 3 clicks.
Types of abnormal click activity typically involve many clicks over a short period of time from the same IP address. The velocity (speed at which clicks happen) is an important factor. Example: If a single IP address clicks your ad 5 times in 10 minutes, we recommend immediately blocking that person in AdWords. Chances are, it is a bot or a competitor.
2. Is the IP address the same (or very similar)?
This is going to be the most common way you'll track fraudulent activity. Most competitors who may click on your ads, aren't sophisticated enough to fake (spoof) their IP address, or they don't see the necessity since they aren't intentionally trying to hide their activity. Therefore, this is the #1 piece of information to evaluate.
Look for similar IP address ranges. However, realize that the most important factor is when the first 3 blocks of the IP address are identical and the last 2 to 3 digits of the address are similar or identical. If you see two IP addresses with the same first digits (example: 203.22.11.33 and 203.22.150.33) those are not actually that similar. In the world of IP addresses, those could be on different sides of the world! However, if the entire IP address, including the last 3 digits are very similar, (example: 203.22.11.133 and 203.22.11.136) it could be a sign of click fraud since those addresses are in the same subnet, meaning they are likely to have a similar geographic location.
3. Time Clicked
Most competitors who are intentially clicking on your ads fraudulently don't have all day to click on your website. Yes, they could be sneaky and click once per hour and potentially circumvent your fraud detection. This defeats one of their main purposes though, which is to run up to your daily ad budget and make your ad disappear for the day. It's in their best interest to click early in the day, as many times as possible.
Therefore, most fraudulent activity occurs over a short period of time. If you see the same IP clicking once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and once in the evening (of the same day), it's more likely a comparison shopper and not your competitor.
4. Cookie ID
PPCSecure places a unique tracking cookie on every device that visits your website. This piece of information becomes very helpful in two main circumstances. The first scenario is if you have different IP addresses but suspect they may be the same person.
Example:
| Cookie ID: 34ddd8kiw93kkk4rt | IP Address: 111.222.333.230 |
| Cookie ID: 34ddd8kiw93kkk4rt | IP Address: 111.222.333.76 |
Because the Unique IDs are the same, this is positive confirmation that this is the same computer, even if the IP addresses are slightly different.
The second scenario is if you have the same IP address, but different Cookie IDs:
Example:
| Cookie ID: 34ddd8kiw93kkk4rt | IP Address: 111.222.333.230 |
| Cookie ID: 34fff8kiw9354k4dv | IP Address: 111.222.333.230 |
This can actually mean several things. This could be a single user who used two different browsers or a single user who simply has cookies blocked. This could also be a sign of different computers inside the same house of office all behind the same router or cable modem.
5. Browser
PPCSecure also tracks browser type (i.e. Chrome, FireFox, Internet Explorer). So, if you have the same IP address with two different Cookie IDs and two different browser types, you can usually safely assume it's the same person. If they change from Internet Explorer to Firefox, the Cookie ID will be different.
6. Platform (OS)
This is one more piece of information we use to distinguish your visitors from one another. For instance, if you have the same IP address coming from two platforms (Example: Windows 8 and Windows 7), it could be two different users within an office or home ot the same user from two different computers.
7. Keywords
PPCSecure tracks the keywords people use to find your ads on Google and Bing. NOTE: Google has recently stopped providing keyword data as a result of security concerns. However, wherever possible, we will provide you the keywords used. This might not intially seem like a result that helps to detect fraudulent activity, but consider the following example:
| IP Address: 111.222.333.297 | Keywords: homes for sale Utah |
| IP Address: 111.222.333.120 | Keywords: homes for sale Utah |
| IP Address: 111.222.333.111 | Keywords: homes for sale Utah |
| IP Address: 111.222.333.112 | Keywords: homes for sale Utah |
The IP Addresses above are suspicious because they are in the same subnet (entire address same, last three digits similar), but without the Unique IDs being the same, it's hard to tell for sure. If you see suspicious IPs with the same keywords, though, you can begin to believe fraud has occurred. If the above pattern appears within the space of a few hours, you can be nearly certain.
Google AdWords
You can block IP addresses in Google Adwords by using Google's IP Exlusion list. To add an IP address to the list, follow these instructions:
Bing/Yahoo
You can block IP addresses in Bing/Yahoo by using their IP Exlusion list. To add an IP address to the list, follow these instructions:
1. Click "Account" in the upper-right-hand corner and then click "Update Contact Info".
2. Fill in the field that says "Google AdWords Customer ID Number" and click "Update Now". If you aren't sure what your ID number is, you can locate it by logging into adwords.google.com. It's in the upper right-hand corner of AdWords and looks like a phone number (000-000-0000).
3. Our support staff will be notified you wish to link your AdWords account and we will send you a request to allow PPCSecure access to your AdWords. Once we have sent this request, we will email you to let you know. Since this is a manual process, it may take many hours.
4. When you receive the email from us, follow the instructions. Typically, you will visit adwords.google.com, click the Gear icon in the upper right-hand corner. Then click Account Settings, then click Account Access and then click "Approve Request" next to the entry that says PPCSecure.
5. Create a new tracker or edit an existing tracker in PPCSecure. Fill out the field that says "AdWords Campaign ID Number".
6. Scroll down and for each alert level, choose "Yes" or "No" for the field that says "Block IP Address in AdWords". Then click Save or Create button at the bottom of the screen.
Once you've done this, PPCSecure will automatically block the IP address of any person who clicks your ads too many times (as determined by your settings).
1. Make sure your request is reasonable and valid.
A single IP Address clicking your ad 3 times in 24 hours might be considered typical
shopping behavior. A single entity clicking your ad 10 times in 48 hours, for instance, may be suspect, and should be investigated and reported to your search engine.
2. Gather Evidence.
You will want to have some information handy when contacting
Google. So, here is the evidence you should
gather. (All of these items are available by clicking on the suspect IP address in the
View Tracker screen of the PPCSecure management console):
3. Contact Google.
Make sure you use Google's automated case submission process.
Here is the process we recommend to use:
a. Visit this link to begin the submission process.
b. Accurately complete each and every field. Pay attention to detail and use
proper upper and lower cases and ensure your information is accurate.
c. In the description field, write a detailed description including the evidence
you gathered in Step 2. However, try to be concise and do not get emotional
or accusatory. Stick to the facts when presenting your case.
NOTE: If you are cancelleing due to recent events involving Coronavirus, you may choose to pause you account instead. As a service to our members, PPCSecure can pause your account for 90 days, free of charge. You will not be billed during this time and you can keep all of your data. If you wish to use this option, please let us know via our Contact Form. Otherwise, if you still wish to cancel and lose all of your data, you may cancel at any time with no penalty by sending us a message requesting cancellation using our Contact Form.