Invalid traffic on your videos

Invalid traffic is any activity on your channel that doesn’t come from a real user or a user with genuine interest. It can include fraudulent, artificial, or even unintentional ways to boost ad revenue for videos, among others.

Examples of invalid traffic on videos include:

• Automated or incentivized traffic from third parties, including “traffic boosting” services and others claiming to be legitimate ad networks, among others.
• Announcing to your viewers that they should watch or click through ads on certain videos to boost ad traffic, resulting in boosted ad revenue.

Our systems analyze traffic to your videos to determine whether it’s valid or invalid, regardless of where or how the traffic originated. It’s important that we quickly address invalid traffic to keep the platform working for creators, advertisers, and viewers. By continuing to protect our advertising systems against invalid traffic, advertisers can continue to be confident investing in the platform, which helps creators monetize the great content they produce.

Sometimes, creators may find that their channels are affected by invalid traffic. When invalid traffic is detected, advertisers aren’t charged, or are refunded where appropriate and possible. Since advertisers don’t pay for these views, neither YouTube nor creators benefit.

If we detect invalid traffic on your channel, we may temporarily limit ad serving until our systems determine the risk of invalid traffic is reduced. In cases where significant activity on a channel is found to be invalid, the associated AdSense for YouTube account may be suspended or permanently disabled. If your account was disabled for invalid traffic, but you feel that this decision was made in error, you can submit an invalid activity appeal. Significant invalid traffic violations may also result in demonetization in accordance with our YouTube channel monetization policies. If you feel this is a mistake, you can appeal. If the violation is overturned, you can apply for monetization once you're eligible in YouTube Studio.

How invalid traffic impacts your earnings

While we work hard to try to prevent it, some types of invalid traffic can only be detected by our systems after it happens. When our systems detect invalid traffic on ads that have already been served on your channel, any earnings from invalid traffic may be withheld, changed, or offset. As a result, adjustments are made to earnings in YouTube Analytics and AdSense for YouTube. If we detect invalid traffic on your channel, you might notice:

• Drops in views and earnings. You may notice adjustments in YouTube Analytics to remove earnings associated with invalid traffic.
• Fewer ads on your channel. We may temporarily limit ad serving until our systems determine the risk of invalid traffic is reduced, which may impact revenue even while views remain consistent.
• Adjustments in your AdSense for YouTube account. If we detect associated earnings from invalid traffic after your payment has been calculated or paid, the amount is offset from your current or future AdSense for YouTube balance.
• Delays in payment. Payments may be delayed up to 90 days to allow sufficient time to investigate traffic and associated earnings on your channel. Earnings may be withheld, adjusted, or offset if they are determined to be invalid.

Your AdSense for YouTube earnings are typically adjusted before disbursement to remove earnings from invalid traffic. But, if we detect associated earnings from invalid traffic after your payment has been calculated or paid, we’ll offset the amount from your current or future AdSense for YouTube balance. Any debits for invalid traffic will appear as a separate line item on the Payments page in AdSense for YouTube. When you see these adjustments, it means that our invalid traffic defenses are working to protect the platform, even if you didn't necessarily generate or drive that traffic.

FAQs on invalid traffic