Click Cap Rules help control the volume of non-organic traffic by setting limits on the number of clicks a partner or group of partners can generate within a defined period. Once a configured limit is reached, subsequent clicks are blocked until the relevant cap window resets.
Before You Begin
Click Cap Rules apply only to non-organic traffic.
The following traffic types are not eligible for click caps:
- Organic traffic
- Self-Reporting Networks (SRNs), including Google Ads and Meta Ads
- Unattributed traffic
Creating a Click Cap Rule
To create a new rule:
Manage → Cap Rules → Add Rule
Step 1: Enter Basic Details
Enter a unique name for the rule.
The rule name is also shown in logs and notifications whenever the rule is triggered, making it easier to identify the rule responsible for a blocked click.
Step 2: Select the Scope
Next, choose where the click cap should be applied. You can select either Agency or Partner.
Choosing Agency
When you want to manage the traffic created by partners under a particular agency, select the Agency option. The following options will be available after choosing an agency:
Choosing Partner
When you wish to impose a limit on an integrated partner, select the Partner option. In this case, you are allowed to select only one partner in the rule.
Step 3: Select Cap Mode for Agency
Define the options for limiting the traffic for the partners of your agency.
- Individual
- Each partner in the rule will have its own limit.
For example:
- Partner A: 10,000 clicks
- Partner B: 10,000 clicks
- Partner C: 10,000 clicks
All partners will be limited on an individual basis.
Group
In the Group mode, the combined click limit has to be assigned to every selected partner.
In this case:
Total cap is equal to 10,000 clicks
Each partner will add its clicks to the shared limit.
Note: Only partners selected during the rule creation will be included in the cap. If new partners are added to the agency later, they will not be included automatically.
Step 4: Set Up Cap Limits
Cap limits can be set up for one or more of the following time frames:
- Hourly
- Daily
- Weekly
- Monthly
You can set one time frame only or a combination of more than one time frame based on your needs. If multiple cap timeframes are set, as soon as any of the set limits are reached, clicks are stopped until that timeframe is reset.
Cap Timeframe
Reset Time
- Hourly
- Every hour
- Daily
- Midnight (UTC)
- Weekly
- Every Monday (UTC)
- Monthly
- First of every month (UTC)
There must be a minimum of one cap timeframe created for the rule to work.
Step 5: Redirecting blocked clicks
When a click exceeds a cap limit, Apptrove does not redirect that click to the original target page.
Alternatively, you can also enable the Redirect URL option, which will allow you to direct visitors to a preferred page.
To activate this feature:
1. Activate REDIRECT
2. Enter the desired URL
If you do not enable Redirect, you will not be able to redirect stopped clicks.
Checking Click Cap Rules
The page Click Cap Rules will show the details concerning the established rules.
The following information is available:
• Rule name
• Coverage range (agency or partner name)
• Cap type
• Cap mode
• Partner name
• Cap period
• Amount of clicks on the cap
• Status
• Date of creation
The usage percentage shows how close a particular rule is to being reached.
Blocked Clicks in the Click Logs
Blocked clicks will be recorded in case they have exceeded a cap.
Status: blocked
Reason: cap_limit
This information allows verifying that a cap has prevented clicks from being forwarded.
Blocking Redirects for Rejected Clicks
Apptrove stops redirects in cases when the fraud detection engine has declined a click.
In case the click is considered fraudulent or also unable to pass verification:
- Redirect is not performed.
- Target URL does not open.
- Click is registered as rejected in Click logs with the specified reason.
- This feature is enabled without the need for configuration.
Important Notes
Remember these when creating Click cap rules:
- Click cap works only on non-organic traffic.
- Google Ads, Meta Ads, or any other SRNs cannot be picked while configuring Click cap rules.
- One partner can be associated with one Click cap rule only.
- Partners added after the rule has been created must be added manually.
- Rules can also be turned off or on at any time without being deleted.
- When the cap cycle is reset, future traffic is no longer affected by the previous cap.
Conclusion
The Click Cap Rules provide an organized method to manage the number of clicks coming from different partners, agencies, and time frames. By determining the correct level of click volume, limiting conditions, and redirecting procedures, you can manage the total traffic while still remaining informed through Cap Rules and Click Logs. Once a certain limit has been reached, clicks are blocked until the designated time passes.
