Revenge clicks, also known as competitor clicks or sabotage clicks, are deliberate and malicious clicks on a competitor's paid advertisements with the intention of depleting their advertising budget. This form of click fraud is driven by competitive spite rather than financial gain.
How revenge clicking works
Competitors manually click on your paid ads multiple times throughout the day. They may also use automated tools or click farms to generate large volumes of fake clicks. The goal is to waste your ad budget quickly so your ads stop showing.
Signs of revenge clicking
Several patterns can indicate you're being targeted by revenge clicks:
- Sudden spikes in click volume with no conversions
- Multiple clicks from the same IP addresses
- Clicks occurring in unusual patterns or at specific times
- Higher than normal bounce rates
- Decreased ad performance despite increased spending
Who does revenge clicking
This malicious behavior often comes from direct business competitors in your local area or industry. Disgruntled former employees, angry customers, or business rivals may engage in revenge clicking to harm your advertising campaigns.
Impact on businesses
Revenge clicking can severely damage your digital marketing efforts. Beyond wasting your ad budget, it can hurt your quality score and ad performance metrics. This leads to higher costs per click and reduced ad visibility.
How to protect against revenge clicks
You can defend against revenge clicking through several methods. Use click fraud protection software to detect and block suspicious patterns. Set up IP exclusions in your ad campaigns. Monitor your traffic for unusual patterns.
Working with a click fraud prevention service gives you the strongest protection. These services use advanced algorithms to spot and block revenge clicks in real-time.
