2.0 Account Setup
ClickGUARD 2.0 migration guide
If you're an active user of existing ClickGUARD platform, and you're looking to transfer early to an upcoming ClickGUARD 2.0 - you will need this guide to show you how to prepare for migration.
Subscription status
Your current subscription cannot be transferred over, and in ClickGUARD 2.0 you will select a new protection plan and start a new trialing period.
Before you start a trial in 2.0, you should request a cancellation for your current ClickGUARD subscription.
Go to SubscripSome readersHow to add Google Ads account during workspace setup?
If you selected Google Ads as your initial advertising platform, you will be prompted to select a Google Ads account to add to your workspace.
Add your Google Ads account
Select an available account from the dropdown list. The list will contain all Google Ads accounts your linked Google account has access to.
Important: By enabling Automatically configure click tracking, ClicFew readersHow to setup a workspace in ClickGUARD?
ClickGUARD workspace is where you organize and manage all the websites and PPC accounts you're protecting with ClickGUARD. A single workspace should cover your whole business operation.
When creating a new workspace, we need to go through a couple of steps to make sure your workspace is properly setup.
Step 1: Setting basic information
We need to provide basic information about a business that will be using this workspace - domain name, industry, advertising platforms, and exFew readersHow to add Google Ads MCC account during workspace setup?
If you selected Google Ads as your initial advertising platform, you will be prompted to select a Google Ads account to add to your workspace.
If the account you want to add is managed by a MCC account, you need to add that MCC account first - by selecting the MCC account number from the list.
Adding Google Ads account
Your MCC account will be added to your workspace as a PFew readersHow to activate your ClickGUARD workspace?
After you've created your first workspace and added PPC accounts, you can explore the Dashboard before selecting the protection plan and starting your free trial.
Protected monthly budget
Protected monthly budget
To provide the best value, select the monthly advertising spend you want to protect with ClickGUARD. This should be a total sum of all your ad spend across all the accouFew readersHow to link to a PPC platform during workspace setup?
During workspace setup, you will be asked to select an advertising platform and authorize ClickGUARD to have access to it.
Select an advertising platform, and follow instructions to connect to it.
Select advertising platform
By giving ClickGUARD OAuth access, you are authorizing ClickGUARD platform to access and make changes to PPC accounts you are managing.
After successfully connFew readersHow to create an account with ClickGUARD?
Having a ClickGUARD account lets you access the ClickGUARD platform and setup protection for your PPC accounts agains click fraud and unwanted traffic.
Visit the signup page to get started.
Step 1: Sign up
You can sign up with one of the available social network connections, or register with your email and password.
Log in
Recommended: Sign up with a social network for faster registration proFew readers
Basics
How does ClickGUARD check IP addresses?
ClickGUARD uses a suite of geo-location and anti-fraud services to retrieve detailed information about the IP address of people (and bots) that click on your ads.
The information includes, but is not limited to:
ISP (Internet Service Provider)
geographical location of the IP address (city-level / postal code accuracy)
is IP blacklisted (various malware and anti-fraud blacklists)?
does IP address belong to a public proxy / VPN or Tor browser?
the threat level of the IP addressPopularWhat is IP address threat level?
ClickGUARD analyzes many aspects of an IP address in order to assess if an IP address is a known threat. This includes fetching IP information from various anti-fraud, geo-location and blacklist services. That means ClickGUARD is able to learn if an IP address is:
an anonymous proxy (exit address for anonymizing services such as HTTP/Socks proxies, VPNs or Tor)?
a fake crawler (Suspicious web scraper impersonating popular and legitimate crawlers)
a port scanner (port scanningFew readersHow to export data from ClickGUARD?
You an export your data from ClickGUARD's Click Reports by clicking on the "Download CSV" button in the top right corner of data tables, after applying filters:
Clicks
Downloaded data is provided in the universal CSV format that can be easily opened with spreadsheet software such as MC Excel, or imported into a database.
Currently, exporting is supported for the following entities:
clicks
IP addrFew readersWhat is a ClickGUARD workspace?
ClickGUARD workspace is where you will be organizing all your ClickGUARD activities - from setting up protected websites, managing team members and configuring your billing options.
As a user, you can own multiple workspaces, and you can be added as a team member on other workspaces too! Learn how to add additional workspace.
Viewing a workspace
Select one of your workspaces on the Workspaces page. There you can navigate around different sections of workspace management:Few readersWhat are automated rules in ClickGUARD?
ClickGUARD provides a full suite of rules that leverage actionable click data tracked by ClickGUARD via the tracking template and the website tracking code to protect your campaigns from click fraud and optimize them for high-quality paid traffic
Automated rules in ClickGUARD are:
managed: you set your own click thresholds (e.g. how many paid clicks you tolerate from the same IP address or ad placement within a certain time period);
customizable: you can define your own conditions (soFew readersWhy does ClickGUARD track organic traffic?
ClickGUARD provides protection and optimization for paid Google Ads campaigns.
Tracking organic clicks is an extremely important aspect of paid click tracking as it enables us to:
measure total pages visited after an ad click
measure total time spent on site after an ad click - throughout the browser session, not just on the ad's landing page
measure visitor's overall interaction with website
gauge if the visitor is a bot
capture conversions after ad clicks - beyond the landing pageFew readersManaging websites in ClickGUARD
In ClickGUARD, a website is a central figure in your click fraud protection setup. You're not just protecting singular PPC accounts, but entire paid marketing effort on your entire brand.
Adding a new website
You can add a new website from the Sites page. Learn more about adding new websites.
Viewing website dashboard
Select an added website on the Sites page. There you can navigate around different sections of website management:
Dashboard - view stats and cFew readersHow does ClickGUARD determine VPN / Proxy / Tor?
ClickGUARD uses different services to retrieve information about an IP address, that includes knowledge that an IP address is used by a public proxy or VPN - or Tor browser.
How accurate is the proxy detection process?
VPN / proxy providers constantly add new IP address ranges to their IP portfolio, which is necessary for them in order to deliver the service for their users (e.g. overcome geographical limitations in consuming content).
Therefore proxy detection can never be 100% accuFew readersHow does ClickGUARD determine IP address location?
ClickGUARD uses a combination of geo-location services to geo-locate IP addresses.
How accurate is the geo-location process?
All geo-location services use and maintain databases of geo-locations for Internet Service Providers. IP addresses are overwhelmingly dynamic and often change locations, therefore no service can claim a 100% accuracy in geo-locating an IP address.
Here's an accuracy estimation guaranteed by services used by ClickGUARD:
Country: 95% - 99% accurate
ReFew readersHow to add a new workspace?
If you already have a workspace, but you want to add another one, you can do that simply by visiting Workspaces page.
Workspaces
Click on a New Workspace button to start the setup wizard for a new workspace.
The wizard will take you through the same steps as when you were setting up your first workspace.Few readersWhat is automated blocking in ClickGUARD?
By configuring ClickGUARD to automatically react to certain clicking or visitor behavior patterns you are actively preventing potential attackers and other bad actors from wasting your marketing dollars without the need for any manual actions or data reviews.
Automated blocking is available starting with Active GUARD subscription plans.
What can you automatically block?
You can configure your settings and protection rules to automatically block IP addresses, IP ranges and uniqueFew readersHow to add a new website?
If you already added a website, but you want to add another one, you can do that simply by visiting Sites page and clicking on Add Site button.
Adding site
In this dialog you need to add a website name, as well as connect an initial PPC account for this website.
Select your advertising platform
Select a method of access for the selected platform (This is a list of all connections maFew readers
Google Ads Tracking Template
How to set up automatic click tracking with Google Ads?
In order for ClickGUARD to track paid traffic coming from Google Ads, we need to configure a tracking template on Google Ads account level.
By doing this, all traffic coming from your ads will be tracked to ClickGUARD.
To enable automatic setup of click tracking, visit PPC accounts page, select your Google Ads account and open the Tracking tab.
PPC Accounts
Enable the Automatically coPopularHow to test if ClickGUARD is tracking clicks?
The best indicator that ClickGUARD is logging and tracking your paid traffic is to see clicks in ClickGUARD within Click Reports. However, there is a great way to test the tracking template directly in Google Ads.
Login to Google Ads and go to the account or campaign settings where you installed ClickGUARD's tracking template. Under "Tracking" you will notice a blue "TEST" command:
Hit the "TEST" anPopularHow to use a custom tracking template in parallel with ClickGUARD?
If you're using a 3rd party tracking template (e.g. for Facebook Ads), use our template merge tool to get a merged template. If you're using a custom tracking template to add UTM parameters to your landing page, simply follow the steps below to move these parameters to the final URL suffix in Google Ads.
Move tracking parameters to the final URL suffix
Step 1 - Get yoPopularCan I track clicks on Google Ads without setting tracking template?
If your tracking template is already used by another service, you can alternatively setup click tracking with final URL suffix only.
You can let ClickGUARD set this up automatically - visit PPC accounts page, select your Google Ads account and open the Tracking tab.
PPC Accounts - URL Suffix
Enable the Automatically configure click tracking toggle, and *Use final URL suffixPopularWhy does ClickGUARD require the tracking template?
ClickGUARD uses the Google Ads tracking template to log ad clicks for your campaigns.
This is the only approach that guarantees that ClickGUARD will log all ad clicks that happen and apply forensic analysis and your configured rules.Few readersHow to merge custom tracking template with ClickGUARD's tracking template?
Important: We highly recommend using the final URL suffix for custom non-3rd-party templates rather than merging with ClickGUARD's template.
Use the merge tool in Account Settings to get the merged template. You'll find it by first unchecking "I want ClickGUARD to automatically set Google Ads tracking template" option and clicking on the "Custom Template Merge Tool" button:
Tracking template (https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/480f8ec7e1132000/tracking-templatepngo2sFew readersWhat is the Google Ads tracking template?
The tracking template is a setting within Google Ads that makes it possible for users to track ad clicks. It’s an instruction to Google Ads on how to form ad URLs.
Configuring the tracking template in Google Ads is required in order for ClickGUARD to track ad clicks.
Is admin access required?
No. ClickGUARD's really only needs "standard" access to be able to block IP addresses and exclude placements. Read more about account access levels in Google Ads here.Few readersHow to set the Google Ads tracking template?
You can install the tracking template in your Google Ads account by following these steps:
1. Grab the tracking template from ClickGUARD
Visit the Account Settings in ClickGUARD for the Google Ads account you wish to configure
Copy ClickGUARD's tracking template in the “Ads Tracking Template” section.
Note that you can also opt ClickGUARD to automatically set up tracking template:Few readersIs ClickGUARD tracking visible to my visitors?
Click tracking is not visible to visitors since the entire process takes up around 6 milliseconds making it invisible to the naked eye.
Your customers will not notice the redirect to your landing page that happens after tracking is completed. A tech-savvy visitor who is monitoring web traffic will be able to register both ClickGUARD’s and Google’s own tracking, by using software. However this is not the behavior of a vast majority of Internet users.
With parallel tracking in Google Ads ClFew readers
Website Tracking Code / Tracking Pixel
How to install ClickGUARD tracking code?
You can find the tracking code for your website in your ClickGUARD dashboard by visiting Site settings page, and then clicking on the Tracking tab.
Click on the icon in the top right to copy it.
To install it on your website paste it like any other tracking pixel. You can put it inside the tag at the very bottom.
Important: You should add tracking code to your website lPopularHow to install the website tracking code?
You can obtain your tracking code in Settings within the “Website Tracking Code” panel.
Click on the text box containing the code snippet and copy it.
To install it on your website paste it like any other tracking pixel. You can place it after the starting and before the ending tag. Alternatively, you can put it within your website .Some readersHow to install the website tracking code with Google Tag Manager?
Adding the tracking code via Google Tag Manager follows the same process as adding any kind of HTML code snippet to your website.
Login to your GTM account and select the correct website project and follow these steps:
Step 1 - Add new tag
Click on the "New Tag" button:
In "Tag Configuration" select the “Custom HTML Tag” product:
(https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/480f8ec7eSome readersCan ClickGUARD work without the website tracking code?
Yes. Using the Google Ads tracking template is enough for ClickGUARD to log and process clicks and apply (some) protection rules. However, without the tracking code you won’t benefit from a number of useful rules and settings, such as:
Device tracking
Time on site rules
No Device rules
Conversion rules
Hint: It is highly recommended to install and use the website tracking code on your website(s).Few readersHow to test if ClickGUARD website tracking code is installed?
The best and fastest way to check if ClickGUARD's website tracking code is working is to use the built-in Test Tool in ClickGUARD:
Test using ClickGUARD's built-in Test Tool
(1) Find the tool in Account Settings
Visit Account Settings, scroll down to the Tracking Code section and find the "Test Installation" option:
(2) Enter your website URL
Hit the "Test Tracking Code" buFew readersHow to install ClickGUARD website tracking code in WordPress?
Adding the tracking code to a WordPress site can be done in many ways - through a plugin or directly within template files. Best practice is to do it with a plugin.
Official ClickGUARD WordPress Plugin
The best approach is to install the official ClickGUARD WordPress plugin directly from the WordPress marketplace. It’s simple and easy to configure and you’ll get more than just automatically installed tracking code - the plugin will display click stats in your WordPress admin dashboaFew readersSetting up tracking code for multiple Google Ads accounts on the same website
Every Google Ads account you add to ClickGUARD gets its own tracking code, so our goal is to make the website run the appropriate code based on the Google Ads account that generated the ad click.
Using Google Tag Manager? Get instructions here.
After successfully linking your Google Ads accounts with ClickGUARD and activating them, follow these steps to install tracking code on your website:
(1) Identify Google Ads accounts using the Final URL suffix
Here we're instructing GoogleFew readersHow to check if ClickGUARD tracking code is installed properly?
Once you've installed tracking code, you will want to make sure it's working properly. There are couple of ways to see if our tracking code is up and running!
Check the tracking code notice icon
When the tracking code is not properly installed on your website, you will see a little warning notification on your website reminding you that it's missing.
Once our system detects the tracking code is woFew readersCan ClickGUARD work without tracking code?
Yes. ClickGUARD can track clicks directly from PPC platforms via tracking template, and this is enough for basic protection measures to kick in. However, without the tracking code you won’t benefit from a number of useful features and settings, such as:
Tracking of unique devices
Measuring visitor behavior
Tracking conversion events
Getting accurate threat and performance analysis for your accounts
It is highly recommended to install and use the website tracking code on your weFew readersWhy does ClickGUARD use the website tracking code?
By tracking devices across multiple ad clicks you’re able to take your protection and campaign optimization beyond the scope of a simple click counter that tracks IP addresses and blocks them based on defined thresholds.
ClickGAURD rules can be configured to monitor devices as well making it easy to catch repetitive ad clicks made from by the same source and block them.
By measuring time spent on site after an ad click you are able to define a special threshold where you automatically blFew readersDoes ClickGUARD website tracking code influence page load speed?
ClickGUARD website tracking code has no impact on page load times based on the following:
It’s loaded asynchronously, therefore not impeding loading of the page itself
It’s not modifying the visual representation of the page except in the case where a popup warning is shown to the offender, which is done after the page loads
How is the code loaded asynchronously?
By making this script async ClickGUARD literally tells the browser not to depend anything on loading the scriptFew readersHow to install ClickGUARD tracking code on Wix site?
Note: This feature is only available for Wix sites with a connected domain.
To add ClickGUARD tracking code to your site follow these steps:
Step 1 - Go to Settings
Go to Settings in your site's dashboard.
Step 2 - Visit Tracking & Analytics
Click the Tracking & Analytics tab under Advanced Settings.
Step 3 - Add new custom tool
Click + New Tool and select Custom from the dropdown.
Step 4 - Paste the code
Paste ClickGUARD tracking code from Account SettingsFew readersHow to install ClickGUARD website tracking code in Shopify via plugin?
With ClickGUARD Integration for Shopify you can easily setup tracking of visitors behavior and conversions in your Shopify store.
How to setup?
First thing you need to do is to log in with your ClickGUARD account. This will allow you to list all your Google Ads accounts optimized by ClickGUARD. Once it's connected and desired account is selected - Turn ON the visitor behavior tracking to track visitor sessions in ClickGUARD.
(https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/websitFew readersWhat is ClickGUARD tracking code?
Tracking code (or tracking pixel) is a short snippet of JavaScript code that can be installed on your website and landing pages to enable tracking of post-click behavior data in ClickGUARD.
What information is collected?
By running the tracking code on your website ClickGUARD is able to track the unique device used to make a click and track it across multiple click occurrences, as well as to track visitor behavior after they click on your ad and land on your website.
OrganicFew readersWhat is the ClickGUARD website tracking code / tracking pixel?
Besides logging ad clicks via the Google Ads tracking template ClickGUARD also uses a JavaScript code snippet installed on the website advertised with Google Ads to obtain important information about the visitor.
The website tracking code is sometimes referred to as the tracking pixel.
What information is collected?
By running the tracking code on your website ClickGUARD is able to track the unique device used to make a click and track it across multiple click occurrences, asFew readersHow to manually install ClickGUARD website tracking code in Shopify?
To install the tracking code in Shopify you should place it within your Shopify theme.
Note: You cannot track post-click behavior on your checkout page with Shopify. To learn how to install the tracking code in the "Order Confirmation" page and how to setup conversion tracking click here.
Shopify Plus? If you have Shopify Plus reach out to your Merchant Success Manager for instructions to install the tracking code during checkout!
To install the code login to your Shopify store aFew readersSetting up tracking code for multiple Google Ads accounts on the same website with Google Tag Manager
Since every Google Ads account you add to ClickGUARD gets its own tracking code, our goal is to utilise GTM to inject the appropriate code into your website based on the Google Ads account that generated the ad click.
After successfully linking your Google Ads accounts with ClickGUARD and activating them, follow these steps to install tracking code on your website:
(1) Identify Google Ads accounts using the Final URL suffix
Here we're instructing Google Ads to add an additional parametFew readers
Visitor Behavior Tracking
How does ClickGUARD track unique devices?
When you install the website tracking code on your landing page(s) ClickGUARD is able to track visitors' devices (browsers).
ClickGUARD uses browser local storage to store a Device ID that is used to track visitors cross multiple ad clicks, campaigns, keywords, etc. You can later use this information to detect repetitive ad clicks from the same browser (device).
With ClickGUARD you can define No Device rules that trigger when ClickGUARD is unable to track a visitor's device after an ad cliFew readersWhat is Device ID in ClickGUARD?
ClickGUARD tracks unique devices across multiple ad clicks and browser visits. Every individual device is assigned a unique device ID that is stored in the visitor's browser for tracking purposes.
Tracking devices makes it possible to show detailed analytics for each device within Click Reports Devices, as well as linking multiple paid or organic clicks to unique devices.
Does the device ID reveal any personal information?
The device ID is an anonimyzed hash that does not revealFew readersHow does ClickGUARD determine bot probability?
When you install the website tracking code on your landing page(s) ClickGUARD is able to gauge the probability that the visitor is a bot.
Our tracking code is tracking a range of different site interaction metrics such as clicks, mouse movement, interaction with different elements on the page, typing, interacting with forms and many more.
The system is able to determine the probability that the visitor is a bot by combining all metrics into interaction patterns and running them through an inFew readersHow does ClickGUARD track time on site?
When you install the website tracking code on your landing page(s) ClickGUARD is able to measure the time visitors spend on your website.
Measuring time on site starts from the very moment our website tracking code loads. ClickGUARD then tracks the entire browser session up until the point the visitor closes the browser, and measures the time the user has spent browsing your landing page and the rest of the site.
How is this information used?
Knowing the time visitors spend on youFew readersDoes ClickGUARD use cookies to track devices?
Since cookies are often deleted from the visitor’s machine they are not the most reliable method for tracking devices. This is why ClickGUARD uses a proprietary tracking mechanism that provides the best results.
ClickGUARD generates an anonimyzed unique device ID for every visitor's browser, that is used for tracking. As opposed to using cookies, ClickGUARD is using browser local storage to store a reference to the tracking profile (device ID).
Local storage is used to track visitors acrosFew readersDoes ClickGUARD use browser fingerprinting to track devices?
Browser (device) fingerprinting is used by various tracking services to create unique profiles for their website visitors based on the specifics of their browser or device.
The process has raised many privacy concerns over the years both in the cyber security and consumer space. This is why almost all poplar browsers either disable or sabotage the process, rendering it useless.
ClickGUARD does not rely on browser fingerprinting and does not collect information that could be used to creaFew readersWhat is visitor behavior tracking in ClickGUARD?
ClickGUARD's monitoring and tracking does not end when your visitors click on your ad. In order to make informed decisions we make it possible for you to track visitors after they land on your website and throughout their browser session, without the use of browser cookies.
How is visitor behavior tracked?
In order for ClickGUARD to track visitors on your landing page(s) after they click on your ads, you need to install the website tracking code. This code, once loaded on your website pFew readersHow does ClickGUARD track page visits?
When you install the website tracking code on your landing page(s) ClickGUARD is able to track every single page visit on your website after an ad click
Tracking page views (visits) starts from the very moment our website tracking code loads. This is counted as a single page view, which differs from many other tracking providers (namely Google Analytics) where it is necessary for the visitor to visit at least one page other than the landing page. This doesn't work well for one-page websites.
EFew readersHow does ClickGUARD track site interaction?
When you install the website tracking code on your landing page(s) ClickGUARD is able to measure visitor's interaction with your website.
ClickGUARD tracks different interaction metrics, including (but not limited to):
clicks on page elements
focusing and interacting with forms
scrolling through the page
selecting and copying text from the page
By streamlining these metrics into an intelligent algorithm ClickGUARD is able to create interaction patterns that can be compared with previoFew readers