AdWords Updates to Combat Accidental Clicks

Google is once again in the field fighting against “accidental clicks”.

It’s not the first time that Google has taken such an initiative to combat accidental clicks. In 2012, it launched “confirmed clicks” for banner ads that asked the users to verify their intentions of clicking an ad.

Since the increase in smartphones and usage of mobile devices, the number of accidental clicks has also increased significantly. According to one estimate, approximately 50% of the clicks on touchscreen devices are accidental in nature. Such accidental clicks then inflate the cost of an ad campaign, giving away a wrong impression.

Now, Google has come up with a host of new changes to combat this issue.

According to them, they are going to tackle this problem with 3 seemingly small tweaks.

1. First of all, Google has decided not to open ads if the click is around the edges of the ad. They have observed that most accidental clicks happen around the edges of the ad, when the user is, in fact, trying to scroll up or down the page. Therefore, if someone wants to click a particular ad, he/she will have to tap on a more central part of the ad.

2. The in-app clicks are also regulated and limited only to the call-to-action button.

3. Last, but not the least, the ads will only become clickable after they have been onscreen for a short period of time. This will decrease any accidental clicks during the ad-loading phase.

The following image may help clear things up for you: