I spent $220 on Google app ads and 60% of the installs were robots • Hacker News Board

Re: I spent $220 on Google app ads and 60% of the installs were robots

#11

Post by blitzar » Fri, Sep 11, 2026, 8:55 PM UTC

legonigel wrote: post #5

What is the incentive for the bot owners? Why do the bots download and install the apps? It has some (very small) cost to them, and I don't understand the value for them.

upping the clickthrough rate on a low quality property to get paid for fake ad impressions?

Re: I spent $220 on Google app ads and 60% of the installs were robots

#12

Post by toast0 » Fri, Sep 11, 2026, 8:56 PM UTC

legonigel wrote: post #5

What is the incentive for the bot owners? Why do the bots download and install the apps? It has some (very small) cost to them, and I don't understand the value for them.

Have to do the install to get paid for the ad click, right?

Re: I spent $220 on Google app ads and 60% of the installs were robots

#13

Post by xnx » Fri, Sep 11, 2026, 8:57 PM UTC

Switch to a pay app and the problem goes away.

Re: I spent $220 on Google app ads and 60% of the installs were robots

#14

Post by xfour » Fri, Sep 11, 2026, 8:58 PM UTC

phenomen wrote: post #8

If you have their IP addresses in your dashboard, go to Google Ads > Admin > Account Settings > IP Exclusions. Then, add the entire network/data center range there (i.e. 123.4.5.*). In 99% of cases, these bot networks are not run from residential providers. You can confirm IPs at https://ipgeolocation.io/ After running Google Ads for a couple of years, our current exclusion list has over 4000 networks just in the US.

Is there an open database of this?

Re: I spent $220 on Google app ads and 60% of the installs were robots

#15

Post by nickabe » Fri, Sep 11, 2026, 8:59 PM UTC

blitzar wrote: post #6

When you are talking to your VC, they are just "installs"

I guess that's the nice thing about not having a VC... there's no advantage to spinning to anything other than fraud lol.

Re: I spent $220 on Google app ads and 60% of the installs were robots

#16

Post by jasondigitized » Fri, Sep 11, 2026, 9:00 PM UTC

xfour wrote: post #14

phenomen wrote: post #8

If you have their IP addresses in your dashboard, go to Google Ads > Admin > Account Settings > IP Exclusions. Then, add the entire network/data center range there (i.e. 123.4.5.*). In 99% of cases, these bot networks are not run from residential providers. You can confirm IPs at https://ipgeolocation.io/ After running Google Ads for a couple of years, our current exclusion list has over 4000 networks just in the US.

Is there an open database of this?

+1

Re: I spent $220 on Google app ads and 60% of the installs were robots

#17

Post by nickabe » Fri, Sep 11, 2026, 9:00 PM UTC

toast0 wrote: post #12

legonigel wrote: post #5

What is the incentive for the bot owners? Why do the bots download and install the apps? It has some (very small) cost to them, and I don't understand the value for them.

Have to do the install to get paid for the ad click, right?

Surprisingly, no. 29 of the 30 zero-time installs had no click at all; Google credited them to someone watching the video. The install isn't what gets the farm paid. It's what makes Google's bidding think that placement is working, so it sends it more of your ads.

Re: I spent $220 on Google app ads and 60% of the installs were robots

#18

Post by sergiotapia » Fri, Sep 11, 2026, 9:01 PM UTC

How much of Google's revenue is just scams?

Search for "datadog" and the first result is a sponsored link for Datadog. I click that and datadog had to pay google. scroll a bit down and there's the "real" natural link.

Fugazi!

Re: I spent $220 on Google app ads and 60% of the installs were robots

#19

Post by carlosjobim » Fri, Sep 11, 2026, 9:01 PM UTC

Digital marketing is a solved problem. You pay a commission on verified real sales to affiliates, and they can do what the hell they please to make those sales. If somebody like Google or Meta cannot promise X amount of sales for Y amount of ad money spent, then you are a fool to give them any money. They have all the algorithms and profiles on everybody, so it's their job to match your product to customers. Why should you have to tweak who will be targeted?

Well, the answer is that many people owe their paycheck to not letting their employers or shareholders know that digital marketing is a solved problem.

Re: I spent $220 on Google app ads and 60% of the installs were robots

#20

Post by nickabe » Fri, Sep 11, 2026, 9:01 PM UTC

xfour wrote: post #14

phenomen wrote: post #8

If you have their IP addresses in your dashboard, go to Google Ads > Admin > Account Settings > IP Exclusions. Then, add the entire network/data center range there (i.e. 123.4.5.*). In 99% of cases, these bot networks are not run from residential providers. You can confirm IPs at https://ipgeolocation.io/ After running Google Ads for a couple of years, our current exclusion list has over 4000 networks just in the US.

Is there an open database of this?

Yeah if there's a DB that would be helpful - I'm not currently capturing the IP, but I'll see if I can add it in a future release.