When we’re signing up new clients for PPC, we often get asked about bots. They’ll say: how do I know bots aren’t spending all my budget? The reason I say this question usually comes from new clients is because our current clients already know that PPC works. They’ve seen a tremendous uptick in leads and RFQs since they launched with us, so they know their clicks are coming from real people looking for their product/service.
But, we understand the tendency to be skeptical around marketing programs. There is a lot of “snake oil” out there, with companies trying to charge you a lot of money for marketing efforts that don’t bring any return. PPC isn’t like this. Most of the companies we work with make many times their investment in our marketing program each year. So, that’s our best point when we argue, “No, bots aren’t spending your budget” – because we’ve seen our clients get clicks from real buyers that turned into sales.
Technically, bots could be clicking on your ads, but you’ll rarely pay for these clicks. Google has a sophisticated system where they refund any clicks they deem illegitimate to your account. They have a huge team of PhDs constantly updating their hundreds of algorithms to stop invalid traffic. Items that fall under this category of invalid include: double clicks, clicks by bots or software, or unintentional clicks. If you look at your Google AdWords account, these credits are listed as “invalid activity adjustments” under the Billing tab. Not to mention, Google will actually suspend other companies’ Adwords accounts if they discover them trying to spend up a competitor’s budget.
But, is it possible for Google to miss an invalid click? Sure. This doesn’t happen often, but if we do find invalid clicks have escaped Google’s automated detection, we can report them for credits. Again, these clicks aren’t the majority; most of the traffic comes from valid users looking for what your company offers. For more information on how Google combats bots and other illegitimate clicks, click here.
To wrap up, even if Google misses a few invalid clicks, it’s not going to effect your making a return. Don’t get me wrong — Google’s really good at blocking out this kind of traffic – but you shouldn’t worry about one or two clicks over a year. As long as your account is optimized for your business, you should still see results. Companies make an average of $2 in revenue for every $1 they spend on AdWords, according to Google.
As said by bestselling author Seth Godin, “Marketing is a contest for people’s attention.”
Google AdWords puts you directly in front of buyers looking for your product at the exact moment they’re looking. In other words, it significantly improves your odds of winning their attention. Don’t let your fear of bots and fraud marketing stop you from growing your business. Google AdWords is the real deal. If it wasn’t, people wouldn’t use it — and Google wouldn’t make 90% of their revenue from it.
Interested in starting a program? We’d love to chat with you. You can reach us at marketing@web-kare.com. Don’t just take our word for it; give it a chance and watch it work for you.