About Confirmed Click

Confirmed Click is a Google Ads product feature that adds a confirmation to ad placements that may be generating accidental clicks. When a user clicks an ad with Confirmed Click, the user will be asked to confirm their intent to visit the advertiser page by clicking a button associated to an action, such as "Visit site."

Why does Confirmed Click happen?

Confirmed Click is applied when a Google Ads system determines that the ads on the impacted sites are generating unintended clicks. This creates a poor user experience because the user ends up on advertiser landing pages instead of their intended content.

By introducing the second click, we improve the experience by letting the user confirm their intent to visit the advertised page. Typically, users that intended to click on the ad will still click through to view the ad.

How do I find out if Confirmed Click has been added to my site or app?

Visit the Policy center in your account and check the "Status" column. The Policy center displays all of the issues that may affect ad serving on your site or app including Confirmed Click.

How can you remove Confirmed Click from your ads?

Confirmed Click is automatically lifted when Google Ads no longer detects ongoing accidental clicks. However, this does not happen immediately. Confirmed Click will be automatically removed when Google Ads detects a sustained improvement in the click quality of users interacting with the ad on your content.

Disallowed implementations

By understanding what causes users to click accidentally on ads, you'll be able to minimize the occurrence of this happening and have more accurate reporting information and a better user experience.

Encouraging accidental clicks | Google Publisher Policies

Remember to be careful when placing links, play buttons, download buttons, navigation buttons (for example, “Previous" or “Next"), game windows, video players, down arrows, or applications near ads because they might lead to accidental clicks.

Implementation examples you should review for, include but are not limited to:

Ads close to navigational elements
Navigational elements overlaid on display ads
Buttons on top of or close to ads
Site content on top of or close to ads
Reflow of site content causing confusion
Any violations of the ad placement policies

Recommended implementations

Add padding on the top and bottom of ad slots, especially on in-feed or in-article ads and sticky ads.
Clearly label ads.
Declare sticky ads.
Move ads away from navigational buttons, such as next buttons, or clickable content on sites.
Fix the size of the ad unit container especially on in-article ads, so it doesn't push your site’s content out of the way when it loads.
Improve your site’s page speed. Remember, poor page speed can cause ads to delay in loading and appear unexpectedly to users as they scroll through your site.
- Test your site’s page speed with our Page Speed Insights tool.
- Get personalized recommendations for improving page speed with the Lighthouse tool.
- Run the Ad Speed report to identify which ad slots are loading more slowly and improve latency across your network.

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FAQs

Below are the answers to some frequently asked questions about Confirmed Click.

When is Confirmed Click added?

Confirmed Click is only added if we find ad slots which are causing accidental clicks for users. This change will improve the overall user experience of your site while minimizing any unintended clicks. In the end, less unintended clicks will lead to happier users and better ad performance.

How can I fix accidental clicks on my ad slots?

First you should identify which ad slots are causing a bad user experience for users by reviewing the disallowed and recommended implementations above. Focus on improving ad unit implementation and page loading speed to improve users’ experience and minimize accidental clicks.

How can I appeal Confirmed Click?

There are no manual reviews. Google Ads automatically applies Confirmed Click when Google Ads’ ad placements exhibit signs of generating accidental clicks. There is no need to appeal; instead, Confirmed Click is automatically lifted when Google Ads no longer detect ongoing accidental clicks.

What is reflow?

Reflow happens when the browser has to recalculate the positions and dimensions of web elements and leads to re-rendering part or all of the webpage. For example if an ad is loaded into the visible viewport of the page, elements that are currently loaded will be pushed down to accommodate the ad. During this time, your site's visitors intending on interacting with your site may inadvertently click on the ad.

Why has my CTR/Revenue/RPM gone down?

Many factors determine the performance of an ad including CTR, CPC, user intent, advertiser ROI, and others. Lower CTR doesn’t mean lower long-term revenue. This change will improve the overall user experience of your site while minimizing any unintended clicks. In the end, this will lead to happier users and better ad performance. CTR is certainly an important signal, but maximizing post-click activity is in the best interest of everyone.

I noticed that my display ads require two clicks now. How is this better for user experience?

Our system has determined that the image ads on the impacted sites were generating unintended clicks. This creates a poor user experience because the users end up on advertiser landing pages instead of their intended content. By introducing the second click, we improve the experience by letting the user confirm their intent to visit the advertised page.

Why was this behavior changed on some sites and not others?

Google Ads measures click quality based on many factors. Certain content, layouts, and placements can lead to lower quality clicks. Google Ads identifies those scenarios and changes the behavior of the image ads to improve quality.

I’ve reviewed my entire site and have taken action against ad slots that are not compliant, why is Confirmed Click still active on my account?

Google Ads considers data from across a prolonged period. Only when the system notices a sustained improvement in the overall click quality will Confirmed Click get disabled and removed from your account.

Does Confirmed Click impact ads from third-party demand sources?

No, Confirmed Click will not impact any third party demand sources. Confirmed Click is only added to ads from Google Ads demand.

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