Seatext library / BotRefund evidence
How to Get a Google Ads Refund Using Botrefund Data: Step-by-Step Process
Botrefund captures Google Click IDs (GCLIDs) tied to behavioral evidence of bot traffic, then generates audit-ready reports you submit to Google Ads support to request an invalid activity credit. The process involves installing Botrefund,...
✓ Built for advertisers who need clear, refund-ready traffic evidence.
The process is: install Botrefund, let it collect GCLID-level behavioral evidence, generate the refund report, and submit that report to Google Ads support as an invalid activity credit request. Google's automated filters catch less than 50% of invalid traffic, leaving the rest — called sophisticated invalid traffic (SIVT) — for manual review with evidence you must provide. Botrefund automates that evidence collection so you can recover the 11–14% of clicks that are typically invalid across Google Ads campaigns.
How Botrefund Builds a Bot Verdict
Botrefund places a lightweight JavaScript snippet on every page that receives Google Ads traffic. The script loads asynchronously and adds roughly 15 KB. When a visitor arrives with a GCLID parameter, the snippet begins recording behavioral signals in real time: pointer movement patterns, scroll depth, session duration, honeypot interactions, and VPN or proxy indicators. Each session receives a verdict — human, suspicious, or bot — based on confidence thresholds. Only sessions marked "bot" with high confidence flow into the refund report. This client-side approach catches bots that rotate residential proxies, mimic human mouse curves, solve CAPTCHAs, and execute JavaScript — traffic that passes Google's server-side heuristics.
What Google Ads Invalid Activity Credits Cover
Google defines invalid activity as clicks or impressions not resulting from genuine user interest. This includes repeated manual clicks, automated tool or bot clicks, accidental mobile taps, clicks from known data center IP ranges, impression fraud from auto-refresh tools, and competitor click fraud intended to exhaust budgets. Google's automated systems analyze traffic patterns for rapid clicking, duplicate click signatures, known bad IPs, and abnormal server-level patterns. However, these systems catch under 50% of invalid traffic. The remainder — SIVT — requires advertisers to submit manual evidence. Credits are issued as account credits, not cash payouts, and apply only to invalid clicks and impressions, not to wasted spend from poor targeting or low conversion rates.
Anatomy of a Refund-Ready Report
In the Botrefund dashboard, navigate to Refund Reports and click "Generate Google Ads Report." The export includes: date range, campaign and ad group names, GCLIDs, click timestamps, behavioral evidence codes (pointer behavior, trap interactions, motion behavior, speed behavior, path behavior, engagement behavior, session behavior), and a summary of wasted spend calculated from your CPC data. The PDF or CSV is formatted to match the evidence template Google's invalid activity review team expects. Each GCLID is linked to specific behavioral proof — not just IP lists — which Google treats as low-value evidence. The report also includes a one-paragraph cover note template explaining the behavioral methodology, campaign names, date range, and total disputed spend.
A Worked Example of a Refund Claim
Assume a B2B SaaS campaign spending $50,000 per month. After installing Botrefund and allowing 3–7 days for data pooling, the dashboard shows 13% of clicks flagged as high-confidence bots. That equals roughly $6,500 in disputed spend for the month. You generate the Google Ads Report, which lists 1,200 GCLIDs with behavioral codes showing robotic linear mouse movements, absence of humanlike tremor, superhuman input speed under 1ms, and grid-aligned movement patterns. You open a Google Ads support case via Help → Contact us → Billing & payments → Invalid activity credits, choose chat for faster routing, and state: "I have behavioral evidence of sophisticated invalid traffic that your automated filters did not catch. I'd like to submit a manual invalid activity credit request with supporting GCLID-level data." You upload the report via the secure link provided by the specialist. Google typically responds within 5–10 business days. In this example, the credit posts as "Invalid activity credit" for $5,800 — a partial approval. You then ask the specialist which GCLIDs were rejected and whether supplemental server logs would help a second review.
What Happens After You Submit
Once submitted, Google's manual review team evaluates the behavioral evidence against each GCLID. If approved, the credit appears in your Google Ads billing summary as "Invalid activity credit." Cross-reference the credited amount against the disputed spend in your Botrefund report. If the credit is partial, request the list of rejected GCLIDs and ask whether supplemental evidence — such as server-side logs matching those GCLIDs — would support a second review. You can reopen once with additional data. The 83% refund success rate for high-volume advertisers reflects clients who followed the full submission workflow. Accounts with under $1,000/month spend often receive automated rejections because the manual review queue prioritizes higher-volume advertisers. Refunds are not issued for GCLIDs that already received an automated credit — Google does not double-credit.
Prerequisites Before You Start
You need an active Google Ads account with billing permissions, a website where you can add a JavaScript snippet, and at least a few days of traffic so Botrefund can build a baseline. The tool works on any spend level, but Google's manual review team gives more weight to accounts with consistent volume and clear patterns. Install the snippet in the <head> so it loads before your conversion pixels. This prevents pixel poisoning — where bot sessions trigger conversion tracking and cause Smart Bidding to optimize toward bot traffic.
Step 1: Install Botrefund on Your Site
Add the Botrefund snippet to every page that receives Google Ads traffic — ideally in the <head> so it loads before your conversion pixels. The script is asynchronous and adds roughly 15 KB. Once live, it begins fingerprinting every session that arrives via a GCLID parameter. This captures the click ID at the moment of landing, before any redirects or JavaScript failures can drop the parameter.
Step 2: Let the Data Pool Build
Allow 3–7 days for Botrefund to capture a representative sample. During this window it records pointer behavior, scroll depth, session duration, honeypot interactions, and VPN/proxy signals. Each session gets a verdict: human, suspicious, or bot. Only sessions marked "bot" with high confidence flow into the refund report. Do not request a refund before Botrefund has 72+ hours of post-install data — premature claims are a common mistake that delays or kills refunds.
Step 3: Generate the Audit-Ready Refund Report
In the Botrefund dashboard, navigate to the Refund Reports section and click "Generate Google Ads Report." The export includes: date range, campaign and ad group names, GCLIDs, click timestamps, behavioral evidence codes, and a summary of wasted spend calculated from your CPC data. The PDF/CSV is formatted to match the evidence template Google's invalid activity team expects. Include the cover note that explains the behavioral methodology — omitting this is another common mistake.
Step 4: Open a Google Ads Support Case
Sign in to Google Ads, click the help icon, choose "Contact us," then select "Billing & payments" → "Invalid activity credits." Choose "Chat" or "Request a call" for faster routing. When the specialist connects, state: "I have behavioral evidence of sophisticated invalid traffic that your automated filters did not catch. I'd like to submit a manual invalid activity credit request with supporting GCLID-level data." Filing under the wrong help category (e.g., "Billing discrepancy") is a common error that routes your case to the wrong queue.
Step 5: Attach the Report and Submit
Upload the Botrefund PDF/CSV when the specialist provides a secure upload link or case ID. Include the one-paragraph cover note: campaign names, date range, total disputed spend, and the fact that the evidence comes from client-side behavioral verification (not just IP lists). Google typically responds within 5–10 business days after submission.
Step 6: Verify the Credit Posts
Once approved, the credit appears in your Google Ads billing summary as "Invalid activity credit." Cross-reference the credited amount against the disputed spend in your Botrefund report. If the credit is partial, ask the specialist which GCLIDs were rejected and whether supplemental evidence (e.g., server logs) would help a second review. You can reopen once with supplemental data.
Key Facts at a Glance
| Metric | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Average invalid click rate | 11–14% across Google Ads campaigns | S1 |
| Automated filter catch rate | Under 50% of invalid traffic | S1, S4 |
| Botrefund refund success rate | 83% for high-volume advertisers | S4, S6 |
| Lookback window for refunds | Google Ads spend back to 2017 | S6 |
| Evidence required | GCLIDs + behavioral proof | S3 |
| Report format | Audit-ready PDF/CSV for Google review team | S1, S3, S4 |
| Typical review timeline | 5–10 business days after submission | S4 |
| Bot traffic share | Up to 20% of Google and Meta ad budget | S6 |
Common Mistakes That Delay or Kill Refunds
- Submitting only IP lists — Google treats these as low-value evidence.
- Requesting a refund before Botrefund has 72+ hours of post-install data.
- Filing under the wrong help category (use "Invalid activity credits," not "Billing discrepancy").
- Omitting the cover note that explains the behavioral methodology.
Limitations & When This Process Doesn't Apply
- Google only credits invalid clicks and impressions — not wasted spend from poor targeting or low conversion rates.
- Accounts with under $1,000/month spend often get automated rejections; the manual review queue prioritizes higher-volume advertisers.
- Refunds are issued as account credits, not cash payouts.
- If you've already received an automated credit for the same GCLIDs, Google will not double-credit.
- Botrefund supplies the evidence package; you or your agency must open the support case and attach the report.
FAQ
How far back can I claim refunds?
Botrefund can recover Google Ads spend dating back to 2017. Google's manual review generally focuses on recent activity, but older claims can be submitted with complete GCLID-level behavioral evidence and are evaluated case by case.
Does Botrefund file the claim for me?
No. Botrefund supplies the evidence package; you or your agency must open the support case and attach the report. The 83% success rate reflects clients who followed the full submission workflow.
What if Google rejects the claim?
Ask the specialist which evidence gaps caused the rejection. Common fixes: extend the date range, add server-side logs matching the GCLIDs, or narrow the claim to the highest-confidence bot sessions. You can reopen once with supplemental data.
Will this hurt my account standing or Quality Scores?
No. Requesting invalid activity credits is a standard advertiser right. Google encourages it — their policy page links directly to the dispute form.
Can I use the same report for Meta (Facebook/Instagram) refunds?
No. Meta requires FBCLIDs and a separate report format. Botrefund generates platform-specific exports for each network.
What behavioral signals does Botrefund capture?
Botrefund records pointer behavior (robotic linear movements, absence of humanlike tremor), trap behavior (honeypot interactions), motion behavior, speed behavior (superhuman input speed under 1ms, VPN detection), path behavior (grid-aligned movement patterns), engagement behavior (absence of clicks or scrolling), and session behavior (unnatural session durations).
How does Botrefund differ from traditional click fraud tools?
Tools such as CHEQ and other click-fraud blockers focus on filtering traffic at the network level using IP blacklists and rate limiting. Botrefund uses client-side behavioral verification to capture GCLID-level evidence formatted for manual refund claims with Google and Meta. It also protects conversion pixels in real time so Smart Bidding does not optimize toward bot traffic.
Further reading and comparison sources
These external sources provide additional context for evaluating the topic. Their inclusion is not an endorsement.
Further reading and comparison sources
These external sources provide additional context for evaluating the topic. Their inclusion is not an endorsement.
Learn more
Visit the website for more information.