Click Fraud Glossary

A comprehensive guide to click fraud and digital advertising terminology

Showing 27 of 27 terms

GBRAID

Advertising Features

An integrated Google Ads tool that uses user data and machine learning to optimise targeting and ad delivery, helping advertisers reach relevant audiences more effectively without needing to be explicitly enabled.

GCLID

Advertising Basics

Automatically generated tracking parameter in Google Ads that, through auto-tagging, appends a unique code to ad URLs to capture detailed click and campaign data, enabling precise performance tracking, analysis, and optimisation of advertising efforts.

Keyword Match Types

Advertising Basics

Keyword match types in Google Ads define how closely a search query must align with your chosen keywords: Broad, Phrase, Exact, and Negative; to balance reach and relevance and ensure ads appear for the most effective searches.

MCC (My Client Center)

Advertising Basics

An MCC (My Client Center) account in Google Ads is a central dashboard that lets agencies or managers efficiently oversee multiple client accounts, streamline billing, access aggregated data, and manage campaigns at scale from one place.

Performance Max

Advertising Features

Performance Max is a Google Ads campaign type that uses machine learning to optimise ads across all Google channels, including search, display, and video, helping advertisers simplify management and maximise results toward goals like leads, sales, or traffic.

Smart Campaigns

Advertising Features

Smart Campaigns in Google Ads are an automated solution designed for small businesses and beginners, using machine learning to handle targeting and bidding while simplifying ad creation and tracking, making it quick and easy to attract nearby customers.

WBRAID

Advertising Metrics

WBRAID is a Google tracking parameter that replaces third-party cookies to support conversion tracking in a privacy-friendly way, enabling advertisers to measure ad performance without relying on user-level data.

Click Fraud

Click Fraud Basics

The practice of clicking on online advertisements with malicious intent, rather than genuine interest in the product or service being advertised.

Bot Traffic

Click Fraud Types

Automated software that simulates human behavior to click on ads, often used in click fraud schemes.

Click Farm

Click Fraud Types

An organization that employs people to manually click on ads for profit, often using multiple devices and accounts.

CPC (Cost Per Click)

Advertising Metrics

The amount an advertiser pays each time someone clicks on their advertisement.

CTR (Click-Through Rate)

Advertising Metrics

The percentage of people who click on an ad after seeing it, calculated as clicks divided by impressions.

Invalid Clicks

Click Fraud Types

Clicks that don't represent genuine user interest, including accidental clicks, fraudulent clicks, and clicks from automated systems.

Quality Score

Advertising Metrics

A Google Ads metric that measures the relevance and quality of your ads, keywords, and landing pages.

IP Address

Technical Terms

A unique numerical label assigned to devices on a network, used to identify the source of clicks and detect fraud patterns.

Publisher Fraud

Click Fraud Types

When website owners click on ads displayed on their own sites to increase their revenue from ad networks.

Competitor Fraud

Click Fraud Types

Direct attacks from competitors trying to exhaust advertising budgets by clicking on ads repeatedly.

Ad Impression

Advertising Metrics

The number of times an advertisement is displayed to users, regardless of whether they click on it.

Conversion Rate

Advertising Metrics

The percentage of users who complete a desired action (like making a purchase) after clicking on an ad.

ROI (Return on Investment)

Advertising Metrics

A measure of the efficiency of an investment, calculated as the ratio of net profit to the cost of the investment.

PPC (Pay-Per-Click)

Advertising Basics

An advertising model where advertisers pay a fee each time their ad is clicked, rather than when it's displayed.

Ad Network

Advertising Basics

A platform that connects advertisers with publishers who have space to display ads on their websites.

Landing Page

Advertising Basics

The webpage that users see after clicking on an advertisement, designed to convert visitors into customers.

Bounce Rate

Advertising Metrics

The percentage of visitors who leave a website after viewing only one page, often an indicator of poor user experience or irrelevant traffic.

Geographic Targeting

Advertising Features

A feature that allows advertisers to show ads only to users in specific geographic locations.

Negative Keywords

Advertising Features

Words or phrases that prevent your ad from showing when users search for those terms, helping to improve ad relevance.

Ad Rank

Advertising Metrics

A Google Ads metric that determines the position of your ad on the search results page, based on bid amount and quality score.

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