Explore the causes, impacts, prevention strategies, and solutions for invalid traffic issues that lead to AdMob account restrictions. Learn practical tips to optimize ad layouts, monitor data, and maintain account stability while ensuring advertising revenue security.
AdMob, as a mobile advertising platform launched by Google, provides developers with a way to monetize their apps through ads. However, the strict monitoring by AdMob has always been a headache for developers, particularly with invalid traffic. This issue not only affects advertising revenue but may also lead to AdMob accounts being restricted or disabled. This article will discuss in detail the definition of invalid traffic, its causes, impacts, and the methods to prevent and resolve the issue.
1. What is Invalid Traffic?
According to Google’s official explanation, invalid traffic refers to all clicks or impressions that could artificially inflate advertiser costs or publisher revenues, including fraudulent traffic intentionally generated and accidental clicks.
2. Main Causes of Invalid Traffic
Invalid traffic may arise from the following eight main causes:
Newly Registered AdMob Accounts
New accounts, lacking historical data, are subject to stricter reviews by AdMob, and even small amounts of invalid traffic can lead to account restrictions. If the traffic quality is poor, such as the use of fraudulent software, or if there are abnormalities in ad impressions and clicks, throttling is more likely to occur.Publishers Clicking Ads in Their Own Apps
Publishers cannot click on their own ads within their apps.Publishers Encouraging Users to Click Ads
Apps that encourage users to click on ads using rewards or incentives.Improper Ad Placement
Ads placed near functional buttons or user interface elements that resemble ads can lead to accidental clicks.Use of Auto-Click Tools or Fraudulent Software
Applications like those for "scientific internet access" or proxies that generate invalid traffic.Repeated Clicks or Impressions by One or More Users
Competitors may intentionally generate invalid traffic by clicking on your ads, even if you did not authorize this, but it is still the publisher’s responsibility.Abnormal Traffic Data
Key metrics such as eCPM and CTR that are significantly higher than average might be flagged as invalid traffic.Account Association
If another account within the Google ecosystem (such as AdSense) is linked to your account and has suspicious activity, this could also result in AdMob throttling.
3. Impacts of Invalid Traffic
Invalid traffic can lead to the following consequences:
Deduction of income generated by invalid clicks.
Throttling of individual ad units.
Throttling of the AdMob account.
Suspension of the AdMob account, potentially impacting other Google products like AdSense.
4. How to Prevent Invalid Traffic?
Proper Ad Layout: Avoid placing ads in positions that are easily misclicked, such as near functional buttons.
Use Test Ads: During the testing phase, use test ad IDs or add test devices to prevent repeat clicks and impressions.
Monitor Ad Data: Regularly check ad performance data (e.g., CTR) to detect anomalies. If malicious clicks are identified, report them via self-reporting: https://support.google.com/admob/contact/invalid_activity.
Limit Impressions: Restrict the frequency of ad displays and clicks to prevent repeated malicious interactions.
Avoid Incentivized Ads: Incentivized ads are more prone to abuse, leading to invalid traffic.
5. How to Resolve Invalid Traffic?
Optimize Ad Placement: Control the layout of your page content and ads to prevent accidental clicks.
Analyze User Behavior: Use Google Analytics or Firebase to analyze user behaviors, such as frequency, time, and location of ad clicks, to identify abnormal actions.
Contact AdMob Support: If you cannot determine the source of invalid traffic, contact AdMob support for assistance.
Avoid Low-Quality Traffic Sources: Review traffic sources, minimize cooperation with third-party channels with poor reputations, and reduce low-quality region traffic.
Control Ad Request Frequency: Avoid frequent ad requests, particularly in countries with slow internet speeds.
Optimize the App and Wait for the Unblocking: Correct the issues that may have caused the throttling and wait for the penalty to expire, after which the optimized app can be re-uploaded.
Appeal: If you believe the suspension due to invalid traffic is a mistake, and you have sufficient evidence that the invalid traffic was not caused by you or your team, you can file an appeal via the appeal form: https://support.google.com/admob/answer/6213019.
6. Personal Experience Sharing 🖊
Based on personal and group experiences, the usual unblocking time for AdMob accounts restricted due to invalid traffic is as follows:
First and Second Restrictions: If the account is restricted for the first or second time due to invalid traffic, after investigation and modification, the unblocking time usually does not exceed 30 days.
Third and Subsequent Restrictions: If it’s the third or subsequent restriction, the restriction period could extend beyond 3 months, and the restriction duration may increase over time.
Generally, restrictions do not last more than 30 days: During AdMob’s evaluation of traffic quality, ad serving will be appropriately restricted, but this typically does not exceed 30 days. Please note that these times are approximate references, and the actual unblocking time may vary based on the specific situation of the account and AdMob’s evaluation results.
Summary:
Overall, invalid traffic is an issue that developers should take seriously. By using reasonable ad layouts, monitoring data, optimizing user experience, and taking other measures, developers can effectively prevent and resolve invalid traffic issues, ensuring the safety of AdMob accounts and the stability of advertising revenue. If an account is restricted, it is recommended to promptly investigate the problem and make necessary adjustments, while maintaining good communication with AdMob to increase the likelihood of unblocking the account.
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