Skip to main content

​
Overview

Topsort reports all events as received from your marketplace. Marketplaces are responsible for implementing traffic quality controls before sending events to Topsort.
Invalid traffic—whether from bots, fraudulent clicks, or non-human activity—can impact campaign performance and advertiser trust. This guide covers best practices for preventing and monitoring invalid traffic.

​
What is Invalid Traffic?

General Invalid Traffic (GIVT) - easier to detect:
  • Known bots and crawlers
  • Data center traffic
  • Non-human activity patterns
Sophisticated Invalid Traffic (SIVT) - requires advanced detection:
  • Bot networks
  • Hijacked devices
  • Proxy/VPN traffic
  • Malware and adware
  • Cookie stuffing

​
Prevention Best Practices

​
Before Sending Events to Topsort

Implement these controls in your marketplace:
Traffic Source Controls
  • Vet publishers before allowing ad serving
  • Monitor performance by traffic source
  • Set minimum quality thresholds
Security Measures
  • Require HTTPS for all ad serving
  • Implement ads.txt to prevent unauthorized inventory
  • Use rate limiting to prevent automated activity
Filtering
  • Filter known bad IP addresses
  • Remove duplicate events within short timeframes
  • Validate user agents and referrers
  • Require JavaScript execution for tracking

​
Monitoring for Invalid Traffic

​
Key Metrics

Watch for these warning signs:
  • CTR above 5% (typical retail media: 0.5-2%)
  • Sudden traffic spikes without explanation
  • Unusual conversion patterns (too fast or too slow)
  • Geographic anomalies from unexpected locations

​
Using Topsort’s Reporting API

Use the Reporting API to analyze traffic patterns and identify anomalies in your data.

​
If You Detect Invalid Traffic

  1. Pause suspicious traffic sources immediately
  2. Analyze the pattern to understand the issue
  3. Contact Topsort support if adjustments are needed for affected campaigns
  4. Implement filters to prevent similar traffic

​
Frequently Asked Questions

Does Topsort filter invalid traffic automatically? No. Topsort reports all events as received. Marketplaces must implement their own traffic quality controls.
Can I exclude events from being sent to Topsort? Yes. Filter suspicious events before calling the /events API endpoint.
What CTR should I consider suspicious? CTRs consistently above 5% warrant investigation. Typical retail media CTRs range from 0.5% to 2%.
Last updated: