Google Analytics referral spam is a confusing, common issue for publishers. Fortunately, it is both harmless and simple to remove.

This is not real traffic, despite what the reporting says, nor is it anything to worry about. Your site is not being hacked or compromised.

Spammers are not visiting your site, nor attempting to access it.

Rather, their goal is to send fake pageviews directly to your Google Analytics to get your attention and induce panic, and/or to mask or inflate their own traffic numbers, hoping you won’t notice.

In any event, your ads are not loading and no one is visiting your page. However, we still recommend setting up a filter to block this.

Your ads and earnings will not be affected, but your reporting will; RPMs will appear lower, as Google Analytics is counting artificial pageviews with no ad impressions to show for them.

How Do I Block Google Analytics Referral Spam?

1. Select ADMIN on the Top Banner Menu, Then Select ALL FILTERS

2. Click the +ADD FILTER box

3. Give your Filter a Name

Anything, for your reference.

4. Select “Custom” under Filter Type

5. Select Exclude (Default)

6. Under Select Field, Select Referral

This is the most common category in which fake traffic appears in Google Analytics. You can also Filter by geographic location, page title and other options.

7. Under Pattern, Enter the URL in Question

e.g. lifehacĸer (dot) com, although this is only example … copy exactly what appears in your analytics.

 

8. Under Apply Filter to Views, Select Website(s) in Question

May be applicable if you have multiple, affected sites under the same Google Analytics account. Add each of them in as seen here:

9. Save, and Watch the Fake Traffic Disappear, Usually Within Hours

It should be as simple as that, but by definition, spammers are transient and extremely adaptable, and as a result, challenging to keep up with.

10. Further Reading

There are different strategies aimed at stopping analytics spam being deployed all the time. Follow this link for another approach on blocking ghost referrals from different hostnames.