If you’re running paid search campaigns, you’ve likely noticed a troubling trend: spam leads are on the rise again. After a temporary dip in 2023 thanks to Google’s AI-driven Smart Bidding and improved lead validation tools, spammers have adapted, and they’re back with new tactics.
From fake names and burner emails to sophisticated click farms and bot-driven form fills, bad leads aren’t just a nuisance, they’re a costly threat to your enrollment funnel.
Why the Spike Now?
Several evolving trends are contributing to the resurgence of spam in paid search:
- AI-generated bots are more human-like and can easily bypass traditional form validations.
- Google’s continued push toward automation (Performance Max, Smart Campaigns) limits visibility into placements and keyword intent, increasing exposure to low-quality traffic.
- Lead generation fraud is becoming commercialized, with inexpensive bot services that mimic real users.
- Increased competition in the education sector has pushed more advertisers into broad match and automated bidding strategies, inviting spam if not properly controlled.
So what can you do?
Let’s walk through the latest tactics to identify and stop spam leads before they eat up your budget.
1. Redefine What Spam Looks Like in 2025
The old spam leads; “[email protected],” or a blank phone number, still apply. But now, spam often looks more sophisticated. Some emerging spam indicators include:
- High volume of leads from anonymous referrers (e.g., t.co, reddit short links)
- Leads with AI-generated names and emails that pass basic validation
- Unusual patterns in time-on-site or form fill speed
- Repeated use of free VoIP phone numbers (Google Voice, TextNow)
- New: Leads that pass CAPTCHA but bounce at contact attempt
Use your CRM and marketing automation tools to flag leads that match these criteria and exclude them from scoring models.
2. Upgrade Your Form Protection Tools
Standard CAPTCHA isn’t enough anymore. Instead:
- Switch to reCAPTCHA v3 or hCaptcha for behind-the-scenes scoring.
- Use Google Tag Manager triggers to track “rage clicks,” abnormal scroll behavior, and autofill usage.
- Implement honeypot fields – invisible to humans, but irresistible to bots.
- Ask qualifying questions that bots can’t easily answer, like dropdowns with dynamic follow-ups or short, logic-based entry fields.
The good news? If you’re using our platform, these protections are already built in. Our forms and landing pages come pre-equipped with tools like reCAPTCHA, per-lead reCAPTCHA scoring, and honeypot fields to filter out low-quality traffic before it ever reaches your admissions team.
3. Audit Your Campaign Settings and Targeting
The algorithm isn’t perfect. You need to give it better signals.
- Use tighter geo-targeting, especially if your school doesn’t serve international or out-of-state students.
- Change the location settings at the campaign level to: ‘Presence: People in or regularly in your targeted locations’ – without this selection, Google tends to serve ads broadly, including to users merely interested in your location.
- Refine negative keyword lists: Especially if using broad match, your ads can always be served against less-relevant search queries. Make sure you audit your Search Terms report and add irrelevant search queries to your negative keyword lists.
- Set device exclusions if you’re seeing high bot traffic from outdated mobile OS versions.
- Manually exclude placements in Performance Max and Display campaigns where possible (check for sketchy sites, apps, and spammy domains).
Also, check your ad schedule and budget caps – many bot networks operate during low-competition windows (e.g., early morning hours). A time audit might reveal where bad leads are sneaking in.
4. Layer in Conversion-Based Exclusions
Here’s where the power of Google Ads automation can work for you.
- Set up offline conversion tracking to tell Google what real leads look like based on who shows up to info sessions or completes applications.
- Create audience exclusions using remarketing lists of known bad leads (based on CRM outcomes).
- Use Enhanced Conversions for Leads, now more mature in 2025, to close the loop between ad click and verified enrollment action.
This tells Google’s AI what success looks like, and what spam doesn’t.
5. Train Your Enrollment Team to Spot and Report Spam
Your admissions team is your first line of defense. Set up a quick feedback loop so they can report suspicious leads, like:
- Leads who hang up or go silent after being contacted
- Emails that consistently bounce
- Duplicate leads with variations of the same name/info
Build a shared spreadsheet or CRM tag system for flagging leads, then update your exclusions and negative audience lists monthly.
Final Thought: Don’t Just Block Spam, Learn From It
Every spam lead is a data point. Where did it come from? What triggered it? Use that insight to tighten up your campaigns and continuously refine your targeting.
You’ll never eliminate spam 100%. But with the right strategy, you can dramatically reduce its impact, and make sure your budget goes toward real prospective students who are ready to enroll.
Need help diagnosing or cleaning up your campaigns?
We offer a complimentary paid search audit where we’ll review your account and offer practical recommendations and pitfalls for wasted spend. Let’s make sure your ad dollars are working for you, not the bots.
