How Google Detects Invalid Clicks - A Must Know For AdSense Publisher

A lot of Google AdSense publishers are banned from the Google AdSense program for invalid clicks. Some of these Google AdSense publishers manage to get their AdSense account reinstated. However, majority of them failed to do so. As a result, they are banned from the Google AdSense program.
Google does not reveal any specific details about invalid clicks in order to protect their proprietary clicks fraud detection technology. Hence, you would not know who is generating these clicks on your site or where these clicks come from.
If you are not getting any details of the invalid clicks from the termination letter, it may be a good idea to learn how Google defines these clicks and ways to detect them.
Google defines invalid clicks as:
• Manual clicks intended to increase publisher’s advertising

• Clicks by automated tools, robots, or other deceptive software.
So how does Google detect these clicks and how would they know which clicks are invalid? Google AdSense team uses three powerful tools to detect invalid clicks:
• Detection and Filtering Tool: Each click on an AdSense ad is monitored by Google system. Google will record the IP of each click, the time of the click, duplicate clicks and various click patterns. Google will use these factors and filter out potential invalid clicks.
• Advanced Monitoring Tool: Google uses its proprietary software to monitor clicks fraud activity. They are constantly working to improve their technology.
• The Google Team: In addition, Google has a team that uses specialized tools and techniques to examine individual case of clicks fraud. When Google system detects potentially invalid clicks, a member of this team will examines the affected account.
Despite the effort that Google put in to improve their clicks fraud detection technology, there are few innocent publishers whose AdSense account has been suspended or banned temporarily for different reasons. For example, a sudden spike in your AdSense earnings would probably raise the red flag in their system and cause your AdSense account to be suspended. If your AdSense account is suspended for invalid clicks which you did not commit, Google provides you a way to make your appeal:
http://www.google.com/support/adsense/bin/request.py?contact=invalid_clicks_appeal
A Piece of Advice
When you are making your appeal via email, you should stay calm and plan the right strategy. You should be patient when dealing with Google and most importantly you should be polite when communicating with them. You may take initiative to provide them with all the documents they need.