The accreditation certifies that Google's click measurement technology adheres to the industry standards for counting interactive advertising clicks and that its processes supporting this technology are accurate.

The scope for Google Ads clicks accreditation includes:

The accreditation certifies that Google’s video impression and viewability measurement technology adheres to the industry standards for counting video advertising impressions and measuring viewability rates.

This audit is focused on Google's pay-per-click, video impressions, and video viewability advertising systems. Google provides these advertiser-facing solutions through Google Ads and publisher-facing solutions through AdSense and YouTube. 

Only the  Video Viewability Report is submitted for MRC Video Metrics accreditation

Google advertisements may be administered to users through the following products or services: AdSense for Content (AFC), AdSense for Domains (AFD), AdSense for Search (AFS), Ad Exchange (AdX), YouTube, and Google.com. AFC relates to advertisements displayed on the pages of a partner site, where the context of the information on the page is used to determine and display relevant advertisements. AFD relates to advertisements displayed on the pages of a particular domain, where the domain name itself is analogous to a search query. AdX relates to advertisements displayed on participating partner sites, where the context of the page and real-time bidding is used to determine and display relevant advertisements. YouTube relates to advertisements displayed on YouTube.com or in the YouTube app, where the context of the video and search queries are used to determine and display relevant advertisements. AFS and Google.com relate to advertisements displayed as paid results within the context of search engine query and results.

Google's non-video impression-based advertising solutions, such as Google Marketing Platform, and systems which measure clicks for non-commercial purposes (such as Google search) are outside of the scope of this audit. Other systems outside the scope of this audit include related support and management systems such as Google Analytics. In addition:

• Google Ads report builder and other dashboard video metrics are not part of the accreditation process.
• OTT and Other device types are also not part of the accreditation process.
• Video campaign and Universal App campaign Clicks are not a part of the MRC accreditation process for Clicks.
• Dashboard metrics segmentation (for example, demographics) beyond display and search campaign totals and device type segmentation, are not part of the MRC accreditation process.
  

The measurement methodology is based on all click activity recorded, and does not utilize sampling for the purposes of click measurement. Only stage 2.2 of the IAB click referral cycle (measured clicks) are directly observed by Google. With respect to the click-referral-cycle, upon receipt of the initial click transaction by the ads redirect server, Google Ads records the click and issues a non-cacheable HTTP 302 redirect to the browser based on the location established by the Advertisers for the specific advertisement. This constitutes the measured click. The click measurement methodology is the same across all device types (desktop, mobile, tablet) and for browser and mobile apps unless otherwise noted.

Furthermore, currently, parallel tracking is an optional feature for advertisers who use click measurement for Search Network and Shopping campaign traffic. Parallel tracking sends customers directly from your ad to your final URL (landing page) while click measurement happens in the background (without sending them to the tracking URLs first)

Ads can be displayed on mobile devices that are supported by the Google Mobile Ads SDK (see a list of currently supported platforms).

A known limitation of this method of measuring clicks is that a network interruption may cause a user who successfully receives a 302 redirect to not be able to view the resulting advertiser web site.

The counting methodology utilized is the multiple-click-per-impression method. Consequently, to avoid inappropriate counting of navigational mistakes (for example, multiple clicks per user), we require that the time between a given click and a previous click on the ad impression is greater than a specific period of time.

Logs are generated and processed in real-time, storing all data associated with observed HTTP transactions. Numerous variable and heuristic techniques are utilized to implement the click filtration systems, which will not be enumerated here to protect their security.

Both Google and their partners deliver the advertisements to users; however, Google maintains control over and performs the processes related to measurement and advertiser reporting of click activity. When a user clicks on an advertisement, whether delivered by Google or a partner, via any one of the products administering the product, the click activity is tracked by Google Ads through the ads redirect servers.

Measurement of click activity is based on the Google Ads click measurement methodology, which utilizes a technology infrastructure to manage and monitor click events. A click is recorded (measured) when Google Ads has received an initiated click and sends the user an HTTP 302 redirect to the advertiser landing page or website (or other intermediate server such as an advertiser's agent). These measured click events are recorded to data logs within an event file system. The data log files are then accumulated, edited and compiled through fully automated processes to produce click measurement and advertiser reporting. The editing process includes the process of filtering erroneous or corrupt data, identified non-human traffic including robots and other automated processes, and other identified invalid click activity. The filtered clicks are considered invalid, which means they are not billable to the advertiser. Google prepares click reports for advertisers which can be directly accessed by the respective advertiser.

Click measurements can be reported aggregated by geographical location (not subject to MRC accreditation) and device type. Geographical location is based on the user’s IP address or from a publisher-provided location (publishers must obtain user permission to provide such location). Note that some traffic may be routed through a service provider’s proxy servers and so might not correctly reflect the user’s actual locations (for example, mobile carriers may proxy mobile traffic). Device type classification (computer, tablet, and mobile devices) is based on information from the HTTP header-using libraries operated by Google.

In some AdSense implementations, partners render ads on their own site subject to their own design and formatting rules and control the clickable area around the ad. In these implementations, adjustment of this area is beyond Google's control. In regular AdSense implementations, Google both controls the clickable area as well as renders the ad impression directly to the end user.

Google allows Google Ads users to create video campaigns, upload and manage creatives, and set bidding strategies and related targeting for their campaign. Google Ads video ad content must be hosted on YouTube; however, these video ads can appear on YouTube and on video partner sites and apps across the Google Display Network (GDN).

Google’s proprietary Interactive Media Ads Software Development Kit (IMA SDK) is integrated directly into the YouTube video player, the YouTube mobile app, or video partner sites and apps to facilitate communication between the video players and the ad server for video measurement. Google maintains two versions of the IMA SDK, one which supports Flash and the other which supports HTML5. The IMA SDK is a Video Ad Serving Template (VAST) (versions 2.0, 3.0 or 4.0) with a compliant tag implementation used to measure both linear and non-linear video ad content to serve and track digital video ads. The IMA SDK also supports Video Player Ad-Serving Interface (VPAID) (version 2.0) that allows the video ad and video player to communicate with each other, as well as Video Multiple Ad Playlist (VMAP) that allows multiple ads to be played within the video ad content.

For video ad impressions, measurement utilizes the count-on-begin-to-render methodology. When properly implemented by the video ad content publisher, the Google Ads IMA SDK solutions are consistent with the Video Impression Guidelines requirements regarding post-buffering initiation of the measurement event. Upon receipt of the measurement event, Google maintains control over subsequent processing and reporting.

Google indicated that companion display ads are measured independently of video ad impressions and are not reported in the Google Ads Video Viewability Report; as a result, measurement and reporting of companion display ads are excluded from the scope of this engagement.

For video viewability, Google Ads utilizes the Active View description of methodology to measure viewability as reported within the Google Ads reporting platform. Google Ads counts a viewable video impression when at least 50% of the video ad creative appears within the viewable area of a user’s browser/app for two continuous seconds.

Google tries to identify and filter both general and sophisticated invalid traffic continuously through data-based identifiers, activities and patterns. This identification and filtration is done across clicks and video impressions, and includes non-human activity and suspected fraud. However, because user identification and intent cannot always be known or discerned by the publisher, advertiser or their respective agents, it is unlikely that all invalid traffic can be identified and excluded from the reported results proactively. In order to protect invalid traffic filtration processes from becoming compromised or reverse-engineered, no details of specific filtration procedures, beyond those detailed here, will be disclosed, other than to auditors as part of the audit process.

Both specific identification (including obeying robot instruction files, filtration lists, and publisher test activity) and activity-based filtration methods (including analyzing multiple sequential activities, outlier activity, interaction attributes, and other suspicious activity) are utilized in filtration.

In addition, the following parameters apply to the filtration methodology:

All partners that display Google Ads on their content are required to adhere to our program policies, which prohibit invalid activity. Learn more about invalid activity.

Google filters for invalid traffic on an ongoing basis, and will review any business partners that receive high amounts of invalid traffic. Partners who continually receive high amounts of invalid traffic may have their account suspended or closed.

Google Ads reports the total number of clicks, the total number of impressions, and subsets of this data (for example, clicks, impressions, and clickthrough rates, by campaign, ad group, and keyword) to advertisers, and similar data corresponding to site statistics to publishers.. The scope of the audit process covers the click and advertiser reporting for Google Ads. These figures may fluctuate to an extent during the course of the month and are not considered finalized until they are frozen at month end. After this time, the reported clicks will not be adjusted, however, credits may be given to advertisers if Google deems it appropriate.

Google Ads includes the capability for advertisers to see the total number of daily clicks filtered (marked invalid) for each campaign. Google Ads doesn’t report general invalid traffic and sophisticated invalid traffic totals separately to prevent this data from being reverse engineered to optimize invalid traffic. Approximately 55% of total invalid click traffic is estimated to be general invalid traffic.

Comprehensive unit test procedures are utilized to ensure the accuracy of reported data in the Google Ads and AdSense frontends. These are the primary mechanisms utilized to ensure that data from backend databases are conveyed accurately in user-facing reports. In addition, user feedback is carefully monitored to discover and correct any errors which may make it through to a release. Numerous automated systems are in place to ensure the proper operation of all machines and software reporting data to Google Ads users. The content of the reporting, however, is primarily verified through the aforementioned unit tests and user feedback.

Electronic records relating to click activity are retained indefinitely. However, two data fields, IP and cookie IDs, are anonymized after a specified time period (9 months for IP addresses and 18 months for cookie IDs).
You can derive Gross Clicks metrics by reporting on Clicks and Invalid Clicks (GIVT & SIVT) this will allow you to calculate Gross Clicks.

Dashboard metrics presented outside of Search and Display Click campaign totals and device type segmentation are not submitted for MRC accreditation.

Clicks from over the top devices (OTT), unknown and other device types, which are not MRC accredited, may be commingled with accredited desktop clicks and total clicks metrics on Google Ads reporting dashboards. Traffic from unaccredited device types is estimated to be less than 1% of search and display click traffic.

Google Ads reports the total number of video impressions, viewability metrics (outlined below), and subsets of this data to advertisers.

For the purposes of MRC accreditation, only the Google Ads metrics listed in download only video viewability report are in scope. Other reporting of video impression and viewability metrics across the front-end tools are excluded from accreditation, for example, the Campaign reporting front-end.

The metrics in the downloadable video viewability report are reported Net of GIVT in mobile apps environments and Total Net of SIVT in desktop and mobile web environments. This is similar to click reporting, where GIVT and SIVT numbers are not reported separately to prevent this data from being reverse engineered. Approximately 40% of total invalid video impressions traffic is estimated to be general invalid traffic.

The following video ad formats are measured and reported in the video viewability report. All other ad formats not described below are excluded from the video viewability report, including ads served into the YouTube Kids mobile application.