We understand you may have questions and concerns about invalid activity and keeping your account in good standing. Below we've provided a list of the most common issues and concerns publishers might have:
- I accidentally clicked on my own ads. Will this cause a problem for my account?
- I noticed some unusual click activity on my account. How can I protect myself from invalid activity?
- Can I view my own site without generating invalid impressions?
- Can you block my IP address or the IP addresses of my users?
- I use the same IP as other users. Will this cause a problem?
- I expect a significant increase in my site traffic. Do I need to report it?
- My reports are showing clicks on my ads but no earnings. What's going on?
- Can I use my own AdSense for search box to perform my searches?
- Can I play the videos of ads on my site?
I accidentally clicked on my own ads. Will this cause a problem for my account?
Although publishers are not permitted to click on their own ads for any reason, we do understand that accidental clicks may occur. We therefore don't require that you contact us every time you click on your ads. Rest assured that your account is being properly credited for all clicks and impressions we consider to be valid.I noticed some unusual click activity on my account. How can I protect myself from invalid activity?
If you suspect that invalid activity may have resulted from a visitor to your site, we suggest that you review your site's logs for any suspicious activity and notify us with your findings. This information can help us in resolving any issues, although as outlined in our Terms and Conditions, Google will use its sole discretion when determining instances of invalid activity. If you need help monitoring your site traffic, we recommend trying these Google search terms:
- Website tracking and logging
- Site traffic analysis
You may also wish to review our tips and guidelines for keeping your account in good standing.
Lastly, please note that we'll monitor your situation closely, and that your account is being properly credited for all clicks and impressions we consider to be valid.
Can I view my own site without generating invalid impressions?
Yes, you're welcome to view your own pages without generating invalid impressions. Simply viewing your pages yourself will not jeopardize your account’s good standing. However, please continue to avoid clicking on any ads, and don't reload your pages excessively. We take the issue of invalid clicks and page impressions very seriously and have a dedicated team of specialists and automated systems to flag and review any unusual activity.
Can you block my IP address or the IP addresses of my users?
Because IP addresses can be allocated from various sources, and because valid clicks may be blocked as a result, we're unable to block IP addresses provided by publishers. However, there are ways that you can directly block suspicious IP addresses from visiting your site. We suggest that you reach out to your site administrator for further instructions.
I use the same IP as other users. Will this cause a problem?
We understand that you may be using the same computer or sharing an IP address with other users. While we're unable to disclose any information about how we monitor traffic, please know that, to protect your interests and those of our advertisers, Google continually monitors all clicks and impressions on Google ads to prevent any abuse of the AdSense program. We'll monitor your situation closely, and your account is being properly credited for all clicks and impressions we consider to be valid.
I expect a significant increase in my site traffic. Do I need to report it?
We understand that your site traffic may significantly increase for various reasons, and that you may feel you ought to let us know. However, there's no need to notify us of a surge in activity, as we continually monitor all clicks and impressions on Google ads to prevent any abuse of the AdSense program. We'll monitor your situation closely, and that your account is being properly credited for all clicks and impressions we consider to be valid.
My reports are showing clicks on my ads, but no earnings. What's going on?
It could be that your account has some clicks or impressions which our monitoring system considers to be invalid. As you may know, to protect the interests of our publishers and those of our advertisers, Google monitors clicks on Google ads to prevent any abuse of the program. Google's proprietary technology analyzes all ad clicks for any invalid activity that is intended to artificially drive up an advertiser's clicks or a publisher's earnings. Clicks deemed by our monitoring system to be invalid will appear in your reports.
Publishers don't receive any revenue for invalid clicks, so you may occasionally notice clicks with no associated revenue. Note that your account is being properly credited for all clicks we consider to be valid.
Can I use my own AdSense for search box to perform my searches?
We strongly recommend that you do not use the AdSense for search box on your site to perform searches yourself. Besides increasing the risk of accidental clicks on your own ads, searching through AdSense for search will cause reports that don't properly reflect the traffic to your pages.
Can I play the videos of ads on my site?
You're welcome to view the videos of ads on your site by clicking the play button. Clicks on the play button are not counted as clicks in your reports. We only count clicks that lead a user to the advertiser's site, including on the display URL or on the video while it's playing.
