Google Ads - Claiming a refund for invalid clicks

Google’s click-fraud detection tool is basic at most. More than that it is not a tool that can be used to prevent click fraud meaning it cannot be considered a protection measure for your ads. Read more here

This is why it’s so important to have a click-fraud prevention solution. PPC Shield detects and prevents click fraud in real time. We monitor your Google Ads and provide you with actionable insights on how malicious clicks affect your PPC campaigns as well as provide you the resources to support your refund claims with Google Ads.

Since Google doesn’t guarantee you will get the refund, its advisable you gather as much evidence to support your claim as you can. You will need to provide as detailed and accurate information on the invalid clicks activities as you can so your case is strong and your chances to receive the refund increase. For this purpose you can use the Clicks Report on your PPC Shield dashboard by downloading it to excel.

So how to do it:

1. Log in to your PPC Shield account  Or create your account here
2. On the left-side menu click on “Clicks“
3. Click on ADD FILTER, select Status “Blocked” and click APPLY
4. Download your report to Excel

With your PPC Shield report ready, you will now fill in Google’s Click Quality Form in which you will have to provide your Google Ads account details and evidence of invalid traffic.
You will use the data you have just downloaded to fill in date range, IP addresses and the affected campaigns.

In the section that asks you to attach a copy of your weblogs or other tracking data showing the data in question, upload the data you exported from PPC Shield.

That’s it, click submit to initiate the process and continue with your day. Google will notify you when the claim is approved.

Once the claim is approved, you will be able to see the credit under Tools & Settings > Billing > Transactions > Adjustments in your Google Ads account

*Important to know:

• Submitting a refund request for invalid clicks is a process takes time, up to a month and a half sometimes.
• You can only submit a refund request once every 60 days.
• Google claims no responsibility for traffic older than 60 days on the day of the investigation lodgment – so be sure you report invalid activity within the 60 days period.