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Mike Ryan shared data detailing the percentage of invalid clicks within the Digital Phablet Ad Network, categorized into fraudulent and likely accidental clicks. His analysis reveals that the Google Display Network has the highest rate of invalid clicks, with nearly 20% being impression fraud threats (IVT). However, most of these appear to be accidental rather than malicious. Fraudulent invalid clicks are most prevalent among search partners, with over 10% classified as invalid. Unlike GDN, the majority of these search partner invalid clicks tend to be more sophisticated and potentially intentionally malicious.
Despite Google Search being less targeted by click fraud, there’s a notable split—roughly half—between benign bots and malicious automated traffic, highlighting ongoing concerns about bot activity. Google’s owned platforms such as YouTube, Discover, Maps, and Gmail exhibit incredibly low rates of invalid click activity, often approaching negligible levels that seem almost too good to be true. These platforms are primarily accessed through logged-in experiences and apps, which may contribute to their lower fraud rates.
From a broader perspective, the purpose-built campaign type PMax aggregates various channels, but its click profile is mainly driven by Google Search (including Shopping) and YouTube.
A chart accompanying this data illustrates these findings graphically, showing the distribution of invalid clicks across different networks. While the rates vary, the data underscores ongoing challenges in combating ad fraud across different segments of the Google advertising ecosystem.
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