Google fake clicks!

[cloud999]

Hi:
I am wondering if any one else has notice this problem. I am using google adwords and I have installed their tracking program, so if a person clicks on my ad and follows the link the software will register a hit if the person actually goes to the site... right?

So, then why would I not get a convertion factor of 100%? If all clicks follow to the page that is link to the ad? Unless some google sites are faking hits to earn money?

Has anyone seen this? I would suggest that we all investigate this and place the tracking software on the entry page to see just what percentage actually is coming in! Why would you want to pay for clicks that are not real?

Please advice

[rocos]

Not all users clicked your ad will purchase your software, so you ROI is not 100%.

[cloud999]

Yes, that is true. But I am not talking about ROI. I am talking about the amount of clicks originating from an adwords add where the "click" does not appear as a hit in the webpage that the ad is link to. It has nothing to do with purchases.... is all about true traffic.. Example. If you click on an ad there are two posibilities one you are directed to the ad's link and then you hit the page (the softeare counts you), or you click on the ad and before you hit the page you close the blowser or move to click on another ad, the click still counts toward you, but you are not seen by the software. A robot can easily do just that(or a person)... and you would be paying for fake clicks. So, that is why I would not get 100%.... Because I would be using the software both their and mine to track hits... not sales.

[ECommerceConversions]

Slow page loads from database writing can cause this. For example, my landing page has some c# code that writes referal information into a SQL table. Currently its single threaded, and *somethings* if the sql server is down, the page stalls out and people click back. Google still counts it as a click though. So make sure that your web host is reliable and it's not loading problems, or a lot of images on the page.

Oh, and on the issue of if its click fraud... multiple clicks are picked up by google through IP (from what I've been able to tell anyway). Also, there are a lot of free loaders. For example, on my ozone generator site, the add specifically says BUY OZONE GENERATORS, so that the target audience is only the people that specifically wanna buy it. But every day or two, I get a freeloader calling my 1-800 number asking about ozone and not buying a thing.

If you want to try to save a couple bucks through google, try what I do:
Put really low bid counts between 9 pm EST and 8 am EST, and then put it back up to normal for the rest of the time. Then, put your ads into Global/Nationwide to get the exposure of the ad partners, like AOLSearch. That way you get a lot of people from your country (assuming US, but will work from anywhere), and not freeloaders and surfers from India (where they want international shipping and all).

Just my two cents. It also depends on if you are selling something tangible