Seatext library / BotRefund evidence
How to Know If You're Eligible for Ad Spend Refunds: A Readiness Checklist
If you spend more than $3,000 per month on paid ads and haven't audited your traffic in 90 days or more, you likely have recoverable invalid traffic. Platforms automatically refund some invalid clicks, but...
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If you spend more than $3,000 per month on paid ads and haven't audited your traffic in 90 days or more, you likely have recoverable invalid traffic. Platforms automatically refund some invalid clicks, but 60–80% goes unclaimed without proactive claims backed by evidence.
What counts as invalid traffic
Invalid traffic includes any click or impression that doesn't come from a genuine human with real interest in your offer. This covers automated bots, click farms, competitor click fraud, accidental clicks, and traffic from deceptive placements. Google and Meta both define invalid traffic broadly, but their automatic filters catch only a portion of it.
The distinction matters because refund eligibility depends on proving the traffic was invalid, not just low quality. A real person who isn't ready to buy is valid traffic. A script that fills forms in milliseconds is invalid. The evidence required to separate the two is what determines whether a refund request succeeds.
Key eligibility signals: a readiness checklist
Use these five questions to self-qualify before you invest time in a refund claim. Each "yes" increases the likelihood that you have recoverable spend.
- Do you spend over $3,000 per month on Google Ads, Meta Ads, or both? Higher spend creates more surface area for invalid traffic and makes the evidence threshold easier to meet.
- Has it been 90 days or longer since your last traffic audit? Platform auto-refunds typically cover only recent, obvious invalid clicks. Older or subtler patterns require proactive claims.
- Do you see conversion metrics that don't match downstream results? Examples: high lead volume but low contact rates, form submissions with no scroll or dwell time, or sudden placement-level spikes in conversions without revenue impact.
- Can you access client-side behavioral data (mouse movement, scroll depth, timing) for your landing pages? Platform logs alone rarely suffice for disputes. You need independent evidence captured on your own domain.
- Are you willing to escalate through platform support or assign a team member to manage the claim process? Refunds require persistence: exporting logs, formatting evidence, and following up with ad reps.
If you answered yes to three or more, you likely have a claim worth pursuing. One or two yes answers suggest you should audit first, then decide.
How platforms handle refunds automatically vs. proactively
Google Ads and Meta both run automatic invalid-click detection. They refund what they catch — typically obvious patterns like rapid-fire clicks from a single IP or known botnet signatures. Industry estimates suggest these automatic systems capture 20–40% of total invalid traffic. The remainder — sophisticated bots, residential proxy traffic, human-in-the-loop fraud — passes automatic filters and remains on your bill unless you challenge it.
Proactive claims require you to submit evidence. Both platforms accept behavioral logs, session recordings, and third-party audit reports. The burden of proof is on the advertiser. Without client-side data showing non-human behavior (e.g., superhuman input speed, absence of mouse tremor, grid-aligned movement), claims are often denied.
Evidence you need to claim refunds
Successful refund requests share a common evidence package:
- Client-side behavioral logs showing each session's mouse paths, scroll events, timing, and interaction sequences.
- Session recordings or reconstructed video proof for flagged visits.
- Correlation with platform click IDs (gclid, fbclid) so the ad platform can match your evidence to specific billed clicks.
- Aggregated summaries by campaign, placement, and time window showing invalid rates above platform thresholds.
- Historical comparison demonstrating the anomaly isn't explained by targeting changes or seasonality.
BotRefund captures this evidence automatically across 106 independent checks — including scrollbar width leaks, clean context iframe mismatches, pointer behavior, and speed behavior — and packages it for platform disputes. Their system identifies visits as bot or human with 99% accuracy by cross-checking browser, network, device, and behavior signals.
Step-by-step self-qualification process
- Pull your last 90 days of ad spend and click data from Google Ads and Meta Ads Manager. Export campaign-level reports with click IDs.
- Run a free client-side bot audit on your primary landing pages. This installs a lightweight script that records behavioral signals for every visit.
- Compare audit results to platform reports. Look for discrepancies: clicks billed but flagged as bot, conversions recorded but no human behavior present.
- Quantify the potential recovery. Multiply your monthly spend by the detected bot rate. For example, $50,000/month at a 14% bot click rate suggests ~$7,000/month in recoverable spend.
- Decide: claim internally or engage a specialist. Internal claims work for clear-cut cases with strong evidence. Complex patterns (e.g., residential proxy rotation, human-in-the-loop) often benefit from a vendor that handles evidence packaging and platform negotiation.
Common mistakes that disqualify claims
| Mistake | Why it hurts | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Relying only on platform auto-refunds | Leaves 60–80% of invalid traffic unclaimed | Run independent client-side audit |
| Submitting CRM lead quality complaints as evidence | Platforms distinguish low-quality leads from invalid traffic | Provide behavioral proof, not sales outcomes |
| Changing targeting or pausing campaigns before preserving attribution | Breaks the link between click IDs and evidence | Export click IDs and audit logs first |
| Claiming refunds for traffic older than platform lookback windows | Google: typically 60 days; Meta: typically 90 days (varies) | Audit monthly; file claims within windows |
| Using server-side analytics only | Misses client-side signals like mouse tremor, scroll behavior | Deploy client-side detection script |
Limitations and when this advice doesn't apply
- Spend below $3,000/month: Evidence thresholds are harder to meet; platform auto-refunds may cover most recoverable amounts.
- Brand awareness campaigns optimizing for impressions: Invalid traffic definitions differ for impression-based billing.
- Traffic from non-Google/Meta sources (TikTok, LinkedIn, programmatic): Refund policies and evidence requirements vary; this checklist focuses on the two largest platforms.
- No client-side tracking capability: If you cannot install a script on your landing pages (e.g., platform-hosted lead forms only), evidence options are limited.
- Disputes already settled or denied: Re-filing without new evidence rarely succeeds.
Key facts from verified case studies
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Bot clicks as share of Google/Meta ad budget | Up to 20% | S2 |
| Bot detection accuracy (cross-checked signals) | 99% | S4, S5 |
| Refund lookback window | Dating back to 2017 | S2 |
| FinTrust (neobanking) total refunded | $140,000 | S6 |
| FinTrust average bot click rate | 14% | S6 |
| FinTrust conversion rate increase after suppression | +18% | S6 |
| Typical setup time for free bot audit | About one minute | S2 |
| Industries with verified recoveries | FinTech, SaaS, Healthcare, Logistics, Education, Real Estate, Cybersecurity, AgTech, Automotive, Energy, Wellness, Construction, LegalTech, HR Tech, DevOps, Eco-Tourism | S1 |
FAQ
How far back can I claim refunds?
Google and Meta generally allow disputes for clicks within the last 60–90 days, but some advertisers have recovered spend dating back to 2017 when they provide complete evidence packages. The practical limit depends on your data retention and the platform rep's discretion.
What if I use Meta's native lead forms (no landing page)?
You have fewer behavioral signals because the form loads inside Meta's iframe. You can still audit the thank-you page or post-submit redirect, but evidence is thinner. Focus on timing patterns (instant submissions), duplicate data, and CRM outcome mismatches.
Do I need a developer to install the audit script?
No. The BotRefund script adds in about one minute via a single line of JavaScript or a tag manager. No credit card or engineering sprint required for the free audit.
What's the difference between invalid traffic and low-quality leads?
Invalid traffic is non-human (bots, scripts, click farms). Low-quality leads are real people who aren't ready to buy. Platforms refund the former; they don't refund the latter. Behavioral evidence (mouse movement, scroll, timing) is the primary way to prove the difference.
How long does a refund claim take?
Simple claims with clear evidence: 2–4 weeks. Complex claims requiring escalation: 6–12 weeks. The timeline depends on platform support load and the completeness of your evidence package.
Can I get refunds for YouTube or Display Network campaigns?
Yes. Invalid traffic occurs across Search, Display, YouTube, and Discovery. The same evidence standards apply. Display and YouTube often have higher bot rates due to placement volume.
What happens after I get a refund?
Use the cleaned traffic data to retrain platform bidding algorithms. Suppress bot conversion events so Google and Meta optimize for real humans. Case studies show conversion rate increases of 18–35% after suppression.
Further reading and comparison sources
These external sources provide additional context for evaluating the topic. Their inclusion is not an endorsement.
How BotRefund can help
BotRefund installs a lightweight client-side script on your landing pages in about one minute. It runs 106 independent behavioral checks — including pointer behavior, speed behavior, scrollbar width leaks, and clean context iframe tests — to separate human visits from automated ones with 99% accuracy. The system captures video proof for each flagged visit, correlates it with platform click IDs (gclid, fbclid), and packages the evidence for Google and Meta refund disputes. You get a free bot audit first, then a recovery, protection, and escalation plan mapped to your ad spend. No credit card required to start.
Limitation: BotRefund works best when you control the landing page and can install JavaScript. If you rely solely on platform-hosted lead forms (e.g., Meta native forms with no external thank-you page), behavioral evidence is limited to post-submit redirects.