The Paid Search Podcast: "How to Stop Spam and Bot Traffic & Leads" (Episode 478)

Host: Chris Schaeffer, Certified Google Ads Specialist
Date: September 1, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Chris Schaeffer dedicates the entire show to one of the most critical issues plaguing Google Ads campaigns today: spam and bot traffic. He lays out eight actionable strategies for identifying, preventing, and eliminating junk leads and fraudulent clicks that drain budgets and cripple campaigns. The goal is to help business owners, marketers, and agencies avoid common pitfalls and optimize for meaningful conversions rather than vanity metrics.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Understanding Spam and Bot Traffic

• Definition & Impact:
  • Spam and bot traffic can take over your Google Ads account and waste "thousands of dollars very quickly" ([04:45]).
  • Two main issues:
    1. Spam/bots eating up most of your budget, leaving you unable to afford real traffic.
    2. Unqualified leads flood your funnel—calls with hangups, irrelevant form fills, or traffic from outside your target market ([06:10]).
  • Bot traffic, in particular, simulates human actions very convincingly—filling forms, making calls, etc.

2. EIGHT Ways to Stop Spam and Bot Traffic

1. Disable Search Partners ([09:10])

• What: Turn off "Search Partners" in your search campaign settings.
• Why:
  • High proportion of spend often goes to search partners instead of Google.com—potentially "100% of the spend is going to search partners" ([10:10]).
  • "Search terms from the search partners are very suspicious. They are almost inhumanly perfect in the way they are conducted." ([11:55])
• How: Segment your campaigns by "network with search partners" to investigate this issue.
• Quote:

  "Do not run search partners at all. Turn it off, not worth it. Most of the time it's junk traffic, low quality traffic." ([13:12])

2. Turn Off the Display Network ([14:05])

• What: Avoid running your ads on the Display Network, especially when combined with search.
• Why:
  • Many display sites are built solely for ad clicks—"fully automated... written by AI... not written by humans" ([15:00]).
  • Mobile apps and certain sites "with incredibly high CTRs" are usually just serving spam ([16:44]).
• Quote:

  "You should be suspicious of any display ad that has an incredibly high click through rate. 50%, 70%. You know, obviously this is a highly suspicious system where almost every single impression is clicked by something." ([16:16])

3. Lock Down Location Targeting ([17:15])

• What: Set your campaign location targeting to "People in or regularly in your targeted area."
• Why: Avoids accidental targeting of people merely "interested in" your area—especially problematic with search partners.
• How: Check the location setting at the campaign level.

4. Use Negative Keywords for Competitor and Support Searches ([18:45])

• What: Add negative keywords to block searches for competitors, customer support, or irrelevant queries.
• Why: High volume of competitor names or support queries can be a symptom of spam/junk traffic.
• How: Regularly review your search terms report.
• Quote:

  "This is potentially the easiest one to solve because you just solve it with negative keywords." ([20:30])

5. Avoid the Cheap Traffic Trap–Don’t Optimize for Clicks ([21:22])

• What: Shift focus from pursuing the lowest cost-per-click and highest volume towards actual conversions.
• Why:
  • "Lower cost per click is dangerous if that is your end goal." ([21:54])
  • High CTR, low CPC, and high conversion rates can be red flags for bot traffic or junk leads, not cause for celebration.
• Quote:

  "Your reports will shine with bright green thumbs up all over the place... Meanwhile, you are burning money, you are wasting money..." ([23:27])

6. Audit Site Links ([25:54])

• What: Check your ad extensions (site links), especially auto-generated ones, for relevance and accuracy.
• Why: Site links can direct traffic to outdated, irrelevant, or low-value pages, causing wasted spend even if everything else is set up correctly.
• Tip: Avoid generic CTAs in site links like "Get pricing here" or "Call now" if those pages don’t deliver.
• Quote:

  "Site links can be destructive to your account." ([27:08])

7. Click Fraud Tools Are Not a Cure ([28:34])

• What: Don’t rely solely on click fraud tools—at best they are a "band aid."
• Why:
  • "You can't patch bad traffic after the click. Your business will waste too much money." ([29:15])
  • In Chris’s experience, click fraud software "has yet to... truly make a significant difference" ([30:06]).
• Quote:

  "Do not fool yourself to think that you can tread down the road of spam bot traffic and have your safety click fraud tool along your side and it somehow stops things... No, you're still wasting a tremendous amount of money." ([30:32])

8. Use Google Ads "Data Exclusion" Tool for Once-Off Spikes ([31:15])

• What: If you experience a sudden, isolated wave of fake traffic or conversions, use the data exclusion tool to block data from that period.
• How: Exclude specific date ranges so automated bidding and conversion tracking are not distorted by an anomaly.
• Quote:

  "If you're dealing with a more isolated issue... the data exclusion tool could be a way." ([32:09])

Putting It All Together: The Trap Campaign ([33:25])

Chris illustrates how all these pitfalls can combine into a campaign setup that is a magnet for spam and bots:

• Search campaign with maximize conversions bidding
• Broad match keywords (or a single broad match among phrase/exact)
• Search partners and display network activated
• Location set to "interested in" area, not "in"
• Obsession with cheap clicks and high CTR

If you recognize this setup in your own account, you’re "a prime target for spam bot traffic" ([34:43]). Chris warns: "It does not self correct. It only gets worse."

Final Insights and Memorable Quotes

• Chasing clicks leads to bots:

  "When you optimize for clicks, you are optimizing for bots and spam to happen." ([35:27])

• Google’s default optimizations:

  "If you're following all of Google's recommendations, you are encouraging clicks. That's what Google's recommendations are. It encourages clicks. It finds ways to help you get more traffic. That's what Google's goal is. That's not the way you should think." ([36:00])

• Chris’s Ultimate Advice:

  "You should optimize for conversions because clicks are not important. Clicks lead to conversions. But in an ideal world, you get one click, one conversion." ([36:34]) "Don't brag about metrics that make no revenue, that drive no value to your account." ([36:50])

Key Timestamps

• Defining the problem: 04:45
• Disabling search partners: 09:10
• Turning off the display network: 14:05
• Location targeting tips: 17:15
• Negative keywords strategy: 18:45
• Cheap traffic / click optimization dangers: 21:22
• Site links audit: 25:54
• Click fraud tools caution: 28:34
• Data exclusion tool: 31:15
• The classic spam trap campaign example: 33:25
• Final recommendations: 35:27 - 36:50

Conclusion

Chris Schaeffer’s message is clear:
Don’t chase cheap traffic or follow every automated Google recommendation. Take charge of your settings, be vigilant about sources of spam, and remember that the ONLY metric that matters is meaningful conversions—the kind that drive real business results. Regularly audit your campaigns for the telltale signs of junk traffic, and set up your account with intent.

Key takeaway:
"Optimize for conversions, not clicks. Spam, bots, and junk traffic thrive where you take shortcuts, try to ‘game’ the system, or value vanity numbers over genuine business outcomes."