Advertisers Could Soon Demand 'Verified Clicks'

Bot clicks—automated interactions generated primarily by email provider security systems scanning links—have surged from 2% to 16% in consumer inboxes since 2023, with Gmail experiencing a particularly dramatic spike from 2% to over 20% in 2026 due to more aggressive link prefetching. This rising bot contamination is forcing advertisers and publishers to consider adopting "verified click" metrics to more accurately track genuine user engagement rather than relying on inflated click-through rates.