How do I stop spam leads from Google Ads?

You stop most spam leads with checks on your own form, not in Google Ads. Add reCAPTCHA, a hidden honeypot field and server-side checks on email and phone. Then count only real leads as conversions, so bidding stops buying more spam.

Google says this itself. Its help page on preventing invalid leads, as reported by PPC Land, states that its invalid-traffic filters do not by themselves stop bogus form submissions. It calls lead quality a shared responsibility.

Why spam gets past Google

Google filters invalid clicks and does not bill you for them. But a click is not a lead. A bot or a person can click a valid ad, reach your page, and send junk through your form. Google's click filters do not see what happens on your form.

Step 1: Check the form

Add reCAPTCHA or a similar check to every form. If you have visitors in the EU, check the consent rules before you add it.
Add a honeypot field. This is a field that people do not see but bots fill in. Reject any form that has it filled.
Check on the server, not only in the browser. Reject phone numbers that are not valid and email domains that do not accept mail.
Consider double opt-in for forms where the email address matters. The visitor confirms the address from a link before the lead counts.

Step 2: Check where the clicks come from

Look at the network report. Search partner and Display Network traffic is a common source of junk leads. Turn it off if it costs more for each real lead.
Look at the location report. Set location targeting to "Presence" if you only serve people in your area.
Look for the same IP address clicking again and again. Google Ads lets you exclude IP addresses at the campaign level.

Step 3: Stop counting spam as a conversion

This step matters most. If every form fill counts as a conversion, Smart Bidding learns that the spam is a success and buys more of the traffic that sends it.

The fix has two parts:

Mark each lead as real or not real, in a CRM or a spreadsheet.
Send the real leads back to Google Ads as an offline conversion, and bid for that conversion instead of the form fill.

Getting help

Synetix Ads sends your qualified leads back to Google Ads as conversions and excludes junk traffic sources, for a flat monthly fee.