Glossary entry
What Exactly Is Invalid Traffic (IVT)?
Invalid Traffic (IVT) covers clicks, impressions or conversions that don't come from a real human with genuine intent. Bots, crawlers and other fraudulent sources are usually to blame.
How Invalid Traffic Works
IVT breaks into two main groups: General Invalid Traffic (GIVT) and Sophisticated Invalid Traffic (SIVT). GIVT covers obvious bots, spiders and automated crawlers that standard bot lists or IP blacklists can pick up. SIVT uses trickier methods such as click farms, malware or hijacked devices that copy real behaviour, making them much harder to spot. Both types produce fake engagement that inflates metrics or burns through advertiser budgets.
Why It Matters
IVT hits advertisers directly by wasting spend on traffic that isn't human, eating into return on investment. It also distorts performance data, which leads to poor campaign decisions. For publishers, high IVT rates can harm their reputation and bring fines from ad exchanges or platforms. Industry figures suggest IVT makes up between 10% and 30% of programmatic ad traffic, although the exact numbers vary.
Detection and Prevention
Detection works by looking at traffic patterns, IP reputation, device fingerprints and behavioural signals. Platforms like Google Ads and Meta give basic IVT filtering, but third-party fraud detection tools dig deeper, especially for SIVT. Advertisers should use a mix of platform tools, outside verification services such as Moat or IAS, and regular audits. Managed protection services can catch and block the sophisticated threats that platform-only filters tend to miss.
How Unled Network helps
Unled's managed click fraud protection stops bots, click farms and competitor fraud across Google, Meta and Microsoft Ads, including Performance Max, and recovers wasted spend through invalid-traffic refund disputes. Pair it with DDoS Protection for complete perimeter defence.
Common questions
How does GIVT differ from SIVT?
General Invalid Traffic (GIVT) covers straightforward bots and spiders, whereas Sophisticated Invalid Traffic (SIVT) uses advanced fraud tactics such as click farms or malware that imitates genuine human behaviour.
How much advertising budget is lost to IVT?
Estimates vary across the industry, but IVT is thought to make up 10 to 30 percent of programmatic ad traffic, costing billions in wasted ad spend every year.
Do platform IVT filters on their own stop all invalid traffic?
No. Platform filters (for example, Google's) cope well with GIVT but can overlook SIVT. You usually need third-party detection tools for full coverage.
What are the typical indicators of IVT in a campaign?
Watch out for unusually high click-through rates, poor conversion rates, traffic coming from unexpected locations, or sudden traffic surges with no matching engagement.