AdWords Geo-Targeting

abuse through circumventing

[frazz]

How can someone see ads when they’re physically outside the geographic area targeted? A competitor is maliciously clicking on my ads even though the ads don’t show in his area. Any idea how that’s possible?

[Tropical Island]

You can use the &gl=us (just change the us for whatever country..ca, uk, de, etc)parameter at the end of the Google search string to force ads for that country. I don't know if the ads are clickable because I've never clicked one however I would assume so. I would also assume that the system will catch him or, probably, you are not being charged with repeated clicks.

Write AdWords support and explain what is happening.

[Rehan]

That's right, he could be using the &gl or &gr parameters to view the ads outside of his country or region. And yes, they are clickable when viewed this way.

Maybe using the new IP Exclusion Tool [adwords.google.com] could help you tackle the problem.

[frazz]

Thanks Tropical Island. Funny thing, when I copy and paste the search string for the clicks from my server log into the browser address bar, my ad doesn't appear. The code you mentioned, &gl=us, also doesn't appear in the search string. Another strange thing, AdWords is showing more clicks than impressions. What's going on with that?

Yes, not all the clicks are being counted, approximately half thus far in this case.

When you recommend to write AdWords Support, are you meaning through AdWords Help>Contact Us?

[frazz]

Thank you Rehan, the IP Exclusion Tool is just what the doctor ordered.

[AdWordsAdvisor]

When you recommend to write AdWords Support, are you meaning through AdWords Help>Contact Us?

Even if your question is not directly related to your account, frazz, the best practice for any AdWords related question would be to write using the "Contact Us" link on each page of your account. Why? Doing so is likely to put you in a shorter queue.

For those who do not have an account, the 'AdWords Help > Contact Us' method will certainly work as a way to contact the AdWords support team.

AWA