Google AdWords = SCAM

Today Google reported that I had 8 click-thrus and charged me $2.00 which is strange because ClickDefense.com and my own IIS logs show no referrals from Google today. Has anyone else noticed this happening?

 

You should do more research before calling the biggest advertising network in the world a "scam" , its libel you know

If you have content matching turned on any site that displays adsense ads on it could have referred you. Maybe you should know more about the program before you go around making accusations.

 

Also google doesn't report in realtime. It can be a few hours behind. Not saying this is the case, but it is a consideration.

 

No matter what ClickDefense.com or IIS logs showed, I would still believe Google.

 

Double-check your referral logs. The answer will be in there. You'll find your 8 clicks have been sent via the content network.

 

yo-yo: Why do you assume I haven't done any research? I've checked the IIS referral logs and I had no referrals from Google and content matching is/was turned off. In the 5 days before this, ClickDefense.com and IIS matched up with what Google was reporting but today it's mysteriously off by 8 clicks.

I realize the topic title was a little harsh but I meant to stick a "?" at the end...which I couldn't go back and edit. Maybe one of you Mods could do that for me? I've e-mailed Google about this but still haven't heard back.

 

Send me your log files and I'll show you where your Adwords referrals came from.

 

That's alright, I know how to read logfiles. Funny that the raw logfiles don't report it, the web analyzer doesn't report it, and ClickDefense doesn't report it.

Has anyone else been matching their Google click-thru reporting with what's in their own referral logs? If so, post here and let me know how often they match up.

 

Dont you think if google was going to risk its name, and scam someone, it would be for a hell of a lot more then 2.00?

 

Yes but you're missing the big picture here. $2.00/day * 100,000 accounts * 365 days/year = 73 million dollars extra income per year -- and if they're overcharging 2.00/day to little guys like me, imagine what they could possibly overcharge advertisers that spend 1000's /day. Maybe this relates to the class-action lawsuit against Google right now? I dunno...

That said, I wish I could change the title of this thread to something less dramatic. I meant the title to be a question, rather than a bold accusation, to see if anyone else had seen the same thing happen - who could offer an explanation. I'm sure it was a fluke of some sort and Google will have an explanation for the error, but I still haven't heard back from them....

 

9 times out of 10 mine match up pretty well. I spend $xx,xxx+ per month on Adwords. Sure from time to time it's not a perfect match but it's not worth chasing down a couple bucks in the grand scheme of things.

 

Not that I'm against G, but why is everyone so quick to dismiss shlap and defend G? I think jumping on / flaming a new member for asking a simple question is bullshit! That's certainly not what DP is founded upon.

shlap, I have no idea. I use whos clicking who to track click fraud. I have not seen that kind of issue because I've only been looking for fradulent clicks, not clicks that just don't exist. Hopefully you'll be able to get down to the nitty gritty and figure out what's really going on.

 

Thats exactly what I was going to say mopacfan. He's said a lot of times that he knows how to read log files, yet everyone assumes he doesn't.

Its very possible that he DIDN'T get the clicks. It might not be Googles fault though. What comes to mind is maybe someone clicked on your ad, but closed the window after Google counted the click, but before your page loaded. Your site could have been down, who knows.

I'd email Google and ask. I really doubt they are intentionally tring to scam you.


Josh

 

In some PPC programs you can loose a lot more than 2$. I have heard that in some cases some programs can charge you for 150 clicks in seconds. Google is surely not a scam.

 

I think the majority of people who responded in this thread were respectful. If you were referring to my post, I actually validated what shlap has seen on his site and just stated I don't have the time to chase down a couple bucks spread throughout multiple campaigns.

 

Those are the most likely explanations IMO. I've seen numerous sites down when I clicked the ads. That way you get the click but never receive the traffic, own stupid fault (in most cases).

 

it was not any one specific post, it was the general attitude of the responses on the first page. It seemed to me that everyone was ready for a lynching. All's good that end's good.

 

I trust Google too but during our last spring break campaign we noticed a difference between our logs and Google report. We emailed Google, 3 days later our account was credited for $250 without any email nor call.

I don't think that Google cheats but when you handle a huge amount of searches every minutes, glitches happen. Google does much better than some small competitors I know.

 

There you go. Problem Solved. Your server was down when you get clicks.

 

yo-yo, your input is so valuable and constructive, I think you need to start a blog or something.

Josh, thanks, that's a good possibility I didn't think of. Anyway...I still haven't heard back from Google.