Invalid clicks: how to detect and avoid wasted digital advertising investment

In the world of digital advertising, not all clicks have real value. Even if a campaign is well targeted and structured, a portion of your budget may be consumed by traffic that simulates interaction, but has no intention of converting. This phenomenon is known as invalid clicksand can account for up to 18% direct loss of monthly advertising spend.

What are invalid clicks?

Invalid clicks are clicks that, although not detected as technical fraud, do not generate any commercial value. These include:

• Incentivised traffic (users who click in exchange for rewards).
• Bots or automated click farms.
• Users who interact superficially: they scroll, visit a single page or stay only a few seconds.

Impact by platform

According to an analysis of more than 120 active accounts between 2023 and 2025, the following average ranges of invalid clicks per platform have been detected:

Why it is of particular concern in B2B campaigns

In the B2B environment, the impact of this type of traffic is even more relevant. CPCs tend to be higher, search volume is lower and each click has a decisive weight in the generation of real opportunities.

How to detect unintentional traffic

• High percentage of users who do not visit more than one page.
• Dwell times of less than 10 seconds.
• Events triggered without depth (fast scroll, menu clicks without further navigation).
• Clicks coming from repetitive sources or suspicious IP patterns.

Estimated annual loss due to invalid clicks

A campaign with a €5,000 monthly investment could be spending between €450 and €900 a month on worthless clicks. In a year, this amounts to between €5,400 and €10,800 of loss.

Conclusion

Invalid clicks are not only a financial problem. They also affect data quality, decision-making and the long-term effectiveness of campaigns. Detecting and preventing them is not only a technical issue, but a strategic necessity.

Very Simple. Very Results.