See how much click fraud is costing you
Use our free calculator to estimate your fraudulent ad spend loss and calculate your ROI with ClickGuardian.
Find this in your Google Ads account under "Avg. CPC"
-- · Typical CPC: -- · Warning-sign rate: --
Across all industries, 9% of paid clicks showed warning signs in our October 2026 benchmark, and 1 in 10 advertisers saw 14% or more.
$350
lost per month to fake clicks
$4,200
wasted per year
140
wasted clicks/mo
- Fraud blocked
- $350/mo
- ClickGuardian cost
- − $49/mo
- Net savings
- $301/mo
7.1x return on investment
Cumulative savings over 12 months
Annual net savings: $3,612
Want figures from your own account instead of an estimate? Request a free Google Ads audit.
Click fraud rates by industry
See how your industry compares. These benchmarks can help you estimate your exposure to ad fraud.
| Industry | Typical CPC (US) | Warning-sign rate | Against the average |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | $5.42 | 9% | The average |
| Locksmiths | $8.33 | 13.2% | Above average |
| Drainage, plumbing and heating | $8.33 | 12.2% | Above average |
| B2B industrial, trade and manufacturing | $5.87 | 12.1% | Above average |
| Marketing, design and agencies | $5.87 | 11.9% | Above average |
| Ecommerce and retail | $4.14 | 11.6% | Above average |
| IT, SaaS and technology services | $5.87 | 8.5% | Around average |
| Financial services | $3.39 | 7.5% | Below average |
| Building and construction trades | $8.33 | 7% | Below average |
| Education and training | $4.81 | 7% | Below average |
| Healthcare and medical clinics | $4.76 | 5.5% | Below average |
| Care and social services | $7.17 | 4.5% | Below average |
Warning-sign rates: the share of paid clicks with at least one warning sign in our October 2026 benchmark of 2,334,216 paid clicks. Typical CPC: WordStream 2026 US average for the closest category. Actual rates vary by campaign.
How we calculate fraud cost
The formula
Monthly Fraud Loss = Monthly Ad Spend × Fraud Rate
Annual Fraud Loss = Monthly Fraud Loss × 12
Wasted Clicks = Monthly Fraud Loss ÷ Average CPC
Net Monthly Savings = Monthly Fraud Loss − ClickGuardian Cost (from $49/mo)
ROI = Monthly Fraud Loss ÷ ClickGuardian Cost
Data sources
Warning-sign rates come from ClickGuardian's October 2026 benchmark of 2,334,216 paid clicks: the share of paid clicks showing at least one warning sign of invalid traffic. Default cost per click figures are WordStream's 2026 US averages.
Transparency note
As a click fraud protection provider, ClickGuardian has a financial interest in demonstrating the cost of ad fraud. We've built this calculator to be as transparent and conservative as possible. Default rates come from our own benchmark rather than the most alarming figures we could find, and all formulas are shown above so you can verify the math yourself.
Disclaimer: This calculator provides estimates based on industry averages and the inputs you provide. Your actual fraud rate may be higher or lower. Start a free trial to see your actual fraud rate with real campaign data.
Personal Injury Law Firm
$10,000/month ad spend
Average CPC
$55.00Monthly Clicks
~182Warning-sign rate (worst-hit 1 in 10)
14%Monthly Fraud Loss
$1,400Annual Fraud Loss
$16,800CG Annual Cost
$1,188Net Annual Savings
$15,612Ready to stop wasting money on fake clicks?
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