I spent $220 on Google app ads. 60% of the installs were robots
A small app developer details how a Google Ads campaign resulted in significant ad fraud, with 60% of installs originating from bot farms. The author explains how automated scripts exploited Google's optimization algorithms to simulate conversions.
Why it matters
This highlights the growing challenge of ad fraud for small businesses and the limitations of automated advertising platforms in verifying genuine user engagement.
I run a small puzzle app called Dayzle. I’m a numbers guy, so a marketing optimization problem is right up my alley. Two weeks ago I turned on a Google Ads campaign for Android at CA$40 a day, with the goal set to installs.
For the first few days it barely spent anything. I had a target cost per install of $1.50, and Google couldn’t find installs at that price. So, as a test, I removed the target. It immediately spent double my daily budget, CA$80, and reported 21 installs. I was excited. Then I checked my admin panel, which said 1. Turns out I didn’t need to be a numbers guy to see something didn’t add up.
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