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Episode 29 - Importance of Negative keywords & Click Fraud Software
You might be wasting 30–50% of your Google Ads budget and not even know it.
In this episode, Ryan Kovach and Perryn Olson break down two of the most overlooked and most expensive gaps in paid search: negative keywords and click fraud protection.
Too many PPC campaigns are set up once and left alone. Budgets get maxed out every month. Click numbers look strong. But when you dig deeper, a large percentage of that spend may be going to bots, competitors, out-of-market clicks, or searches that were never qualified to begin with.
They unpack a real-world example of a contractor spending $100,000 per month on Google Ads. After installing click fraud software and properly building out negative keywords, ad spend dropped to $60,000 without losing lead volume.
That’s a $40,000 monthly savings with the same business output.
The conversation covers:
What click fraud actually is (bots, competitors, VPN abuse, foreign traffic)
Why Google doesn’t fully eliminate fraudulent clicks
How click fraud software protects your ad budget
What negative keywords are and why they must be constantly updated
How broad keywords quietly drain commercial contractors’ budgets
Why residential searches can crush commercial-only campaigns
How geography settings can waste thousands overnight
The broken PPC model of percentage-based ad management
How AI is improving keyword refinement and filtering
Why most construction marketers don’t even know this problem exists
They also explain the dangerous math behind PPC. If only 4,000 real people are searching, but you’re paying for 10,000 clicks, where did the extra 6,000 clicks come from?
From commercial roofers accidentally paying for residential leads to HVAC contractors getting clicks for car AC repairs, this episode exposes how easily ad budgets get burned.
If you’re running paid search campaigns, especially in construction, mechanical, electrical, roofing, or specialty trades, this episode could immediately save you money.
Key Takeaways:
Click fraud can silently eat 30–50% of your ad budget
Negative keywords must be actively managed, not set once
Geographic targeting mistakes are common and expensive
Commercial contractors must aggressively filter residential searches
Flat-fee PPC management reduces incentive misalignment
AI can accelerate keyword refinement, but still needs human oversight
Lower ad spend with the same leads is the real win
Connect with AltCMO and Learn More
Follow AltCMO for more construction-focused marketing insights:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/altcmo/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/altcmo/
Blog: https://altcmo.net/blog/
Connect with Ryan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/c-r-kovach/
Connect with Perryn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/perryn/
View all episodes
By AltCMOYou might be wasting 30–50% of your Google Ads budget and not even know it.
In this episode, Ryan Kovach and Perryn Olson break down two of the most overlooked and most expensive gaps in paid search: negative keywords and click fraud protection.
Too many PPC campaigns are set up once and left alone. Budgets get maxed out every month. Click numbers look strong. But when you dig deeper, a large percentage of that spend may be going to bots, competitors, out-of-market clicks, or searches that were never qualified to begin with.
They unpack a real-world example of a contractor spending $100,000 per month on Google Ads. After installing click fraud software and properly building out negative keywords, ad spend dropped to $60,000 without losing lead volume.
That’s a $40,000 monthly savings with the same business output.
The conversation covers:
What click fraud actually is (bots, competitors, VPN abuse, foreign traffic)
Why Google doesn’t fully eliminate fraudulent clicks
How click fraud software protects your ad budget
What negative keywords are and why they must be constantly updated
How broad keywords quietly drain commercial contractors’ budgets
Why residential searches can crush commercial-only campaigns
How geography settings can waste thousands overnight
The broken PPC model of percentage-based ad management
How AI is improving keyword refinement and filtering
Why most construction marketers don’t even know this problem exists
They also explain the dangerous math behind PPC. If only 4,000 real people are searching, but you’re paying for 10,000 clicks, where did the extra 6,000 clicks come from?
From commercial roofers accidentally paying for residential leads to HVAC contractors getting clicks for car AC repairs, this episode exposes how easily ad budgets get burned.
If you’re running paid search campaigns, especially in construction, mechanical, electrical, roofing, or specialty trades, this episode could immediately save you money.
Key Takeaways:
Click fraud can silently eat 30–50% of your ad budget
Negative keywords must be actively managed, not set once
Geographic targeting mistakes are common and expensive
Commercial contractors must aggressively filter residential searches
Flat-fee PPC management reduces incentive misalignment
AI can accelerate keyword refinement, but still needs human oversight
Lower ad spend with the same leads is the real win
Connect with AltCMO and Learn More
Follow AltCMO for more construction-focused marketing insights:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/altcmo/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/altcmo/
Blog: https://altcmo.net/blog/
Connect with Ryan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/c-r-kovach/
Connect with Perryn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/perryn/