Running paid advertising campaigns is one of the most effective ways to drive leads and sales. But what happens when a significant portion of your ad budget is wasted on fraudulent clicks?
Click fraud is a major issue in digital advertising, costing businesses billions every year. Fraudsters, bots, competitors, and even click farms are responsible for artificially inflating clicks on pay-per-click (PPC) ads, draining budgets without delivering real conversions with reports estimating that fraudulent clicks account for up to 22% of all PPC ad clicks (Juniper Research)
In this guide, we’ll cover:
- What click fraud is and how it works
- Software-based and non-software strategies for preventing click fraud
- How Adido can help businesses protect their ad spend
What is click fraud?
Click fraud refers to any fraudulent or illegitimate interaction with an online ad, often designed to drain marketing budgets, skew analytics, or artificially inflate engagement. It can come in several forms:
- Bots & automated scripts – Fake clicks generated by automated systems, responsible for nearly 50% of all internet traffic (Statista).
- Competitor sabotage – Rivals clicking your ads to waste your budget, particularly common in competitive industries like finance, legal, and e-commerce.
- Click farms – Large groups of low-paid workers manually clicking ads to simulate engagement.
- Accidental clicks – Users clicking ads unintentionally, often due to poor ad placement.
With digital ad spend increasing year-on-year, click fraud is becoming a bigger issue. A study by Juniper Research predicts that global losses due to ad fraud will rise to £136 billion by 2025.
But what can marketers do to fight back?
How click fraud prevention software works
Click fraud prevention tools help businesses detect and block fraudulent traffic, ensuring their budget is spent on genuine users. These tools typically offer:
- AI-powered fraud detection – Using machine learning to identify suspicious patterns.
- IP blocking – Automatically excluding known fraudulent IP addresses, preventing repeated abuse.
- Real-time monitoring – Instant alerts and reports on click behaviour, ensuring marketers can react quickly.
- Geofencing – Restricting clicks from high-risk locations known for high fraudulent activity.
- Behavioural analysis – Detecting abnormal engagement patterns, such as excessive clicks from the same IP.
Top click fraud prevention software in 2025
There are many different types of click fraud prevention software, ranging from affordable to enterprise-level platforms costing thousands per month. The price difference comes down to:
- Feature set – Basic tools offer IP blocking and traffic filtering, while premium tools use AI-powered fraud detection and real-time analytics.
- Business size – Some platforms cater to small businesses, while others are built for multi-million-pound ad campaigns.
- Platform integration – Enterprise solutions often integrate with Google Ads, Facebook, and programmatic ad platforms.
From our research, here are the best options across different price points:
Budget-Friendly (£50+ per month) - For SMEs spending under £20k/month on ads.
- ClickCease – One of the most popular tools for small businesses with automated IP blocking (£52/month).
- Clixtell – Provides call tracking and fraud monitoring, best for mid-sized companies (£55/month).
Mid-Tier (£500–£1,500 per month) - For businesses spending £50k–£100k/month.
- Lunio – AI-powered fraud prevention with advanced audience filtering (£800–£1,200 per month).
Enterprise-Level (£2,000+ per month) - For brands with £500k+ annual ad spend.
- Fraudlogix – Designed for large-scale advertisers using real-time AI fraud detection (£2,500+ per month).
- CHEQ Essentials – Ideal for enterprise e-commerce and finance brands, offering full-scale fraud prevention (£3,000+ per month).
Should all businesses use click fraud prevention software?
Probably not.
While click fraud prevention software is valuable for businesses with large PPC budgets (e.g., £500,000+ per year), smaller businesses might not see the same return on investment as they can prevent click fraud effectively with manual strategies, such as better ad targeting and audience segmentation. Unless a company is actively being targeted by click fraud, most cases of wasted spend come from poor campaign management and ineffective targeting rather than actual fraud.
For companies with lower ad spends, the best approach is to work with a marketing agency that can optimise campaigns to limit wasted spending. Agencies have advanced tracking capabilities, experience in fraud prevention, and direct partnerships with ad platforms to help manage campaigns more effectively.
This approach ensures that even smaller businesses can protect their ad spend without the added expense of third-party fraud detection tools.
Strategies that an experienced agency can use to prevent click fraud without software:
1. IP exclusions
Google Ads and other PPC platforms allow advertisers to block specific IP addresses. If you notice repetitive clicks from certain locations, you can manually exclude those IPs to prevent further waste.
2. Tighten audience targeting
One of the best ways to reduce fraud is by refining your targeting. This includes:
- Using geo-restrictions to prevent clicks from high-risk areas.
- Excluding mobile app placements, as accidental clicks from apps can be high.
- Focusing on remarketing and intent-based audiences to improve engagement quality.
3. Monitor ad performance regularly
Keeping a close eye on campaign performance metrics such as click-through rates (CTR) and bounce rates can help identify suspicious activity. A sudden spike in clicks but no increase in conversions is a red flag.
4. Use negative keywords
Adding negative keywords prevents ads from appearing in irrelevant searches, which can attract bot traffic. For example, if you’re running PPC ads for luxury watches, adding negative keywords like “cheap” or “free” can prevent low-value or fraudulent clicks.
5. Implement time-based ad scheduling
Running ads only during peak business hours can help reduce fraudulent activity. Many click farms and bot operations run outside of normal business hours.
Final thoughts
Click fraud is an unfortunate reality of digital advertising, but you don’t have to suffer in silence. With the right prevention tools and expert strategy, you can protect your budget and improve your campaign performance. If you're looking for a team that can help you fight back against click fraud, get in touch with Adido today!
FAQs
Can Google Ads detect click fraud?
Yes, but third-party tools can provide additional layers of protection. Google's automated system is good, but not foolproof.
How much money is lost to click fraud each year?
Estimates suggest over £50 billion globally in 2023, with projections rising to £136 billion by 2025 (Juniper Research).
Is click fraud prevention software worth the investment?
For businesses with large PPC budgets, yes. For smaller businesses, working with a skilled marketing agency is often the best way to limit wasted ad spend.
How can Adido help with click fraud?
We offer PPC audits and expert campaign optimisation to minimise fraudulent clicks and maximise ad performance.
