Which SourceKnowledge SubIDs send bot traffic?
Judge every SourceKnowledge visit by {subid}. Build a block list from measured visit quality on a network that reports no device data of its own.
SubID in SourceKnowledgeThe buyer adds each bad SubID to a Block list (or Global Block List) — or an Allow list to whitelist only good ones — either one-by-one from the Sub ID Summary dropdown or in bulk via the Tools > Allow & Block Lists interface, and can alternatively bid down/pause a SubID or automate it with Rules.
How bot traffic slips in through SourceKnowledge SubIDs.
SourceKnowledge places native and display units across a publisher network built for performance buyers. Every click can carry a {clickid} identifying the click, a {subid} naming the sub-source behind it and an {oadest} for the destination the unit pointed at. What its click parameters don’t describe is the visitor: there is no operating system, browser or connection data to compare one sub-source against another. The {subid} is also the unit SourceKnowledge’s allow and block lists work on, so a verdict attributed to it lands on exactly the control you have.
On SourceKnowledge, a {subid} is opaque by construction: it identifies the sub-source that delivered the click, but not the domain, the placement or how its visitors were acquired. You can’t inspect a bad sub-source and see what is wrong with it; the only route to a verdict is measuring the visits it sends.
Sub-sources quietly reselling acquired traffic look the same as direct publishers in the reporting. They look different in the verdicts.
What to watch on SourceKnowledge
{subid}Segment your report by {subid}. It is the only source dimension SourceKnowledge exposes and the exact unit its lists operate on, so nearly every actionable finding surfaces here. A sub-source carrying a disproportionate share of click volume with an invalid share well above your campaign baseline is the primary block-list candidate.
{subid} over timeA sub-source that is judged valid for weeks and then degrades sharply has usually changed how it acquires traffic. Because you can’t see the underlying sites, the invalid-share trend is your only early warning that a good sub-source has started reselling. Reviewing the trend also keeps you from cutting a sub-source over one bad day.
If quality concentrates in a few sub-sources while a long tail contributes weak volume, an allow list of the good ones is fewer decisions and holds its shape as new sub-sources join the network — a block list needs extending every time one appears.
What SourceKnowledge lets you judge by.
Invalid share broken down by:
- Sub/Source ID
{subid}
Per-click id: SourceKnowledge passes a unique click id, and ValidVisit stores it with each visit, so a verdict traces back to the click in SourceKnowledge’s own reports.
Compare bot & invalid-traffic breakdown across every ad network →See your own SourceKnowledge sub-sources judged this way.
How ValidVisit attributes SourceKnowledge traffic
Each SourceKnowledge macro maps to a normalized parameter, so every judged visit is pinned to the right campaign, creative and publisher.
https://yoursite.com/landing?utm_source=sourceknowledge&utm_medium=native&vv_click_id={clickid}&vv_publisher_id={subid}&vv_ad_id={oadest}| Token | SourceKnowledge macro | Maps to | Identifies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Click ID | {clickid} | click_id | click |
| Sub/Source ID | {subid} | publisher_id | publisher |
| Destination / Ad | {oadest} | ad_id | ad |
- SourceKnowledge macro
{clickid}- Maps to
- click_id
- Identifies
- click
- SourceKnowledge macro
{subid}- Maps to
- publisher_id
- Identifies
- publisher
- SourceKnowledge macro
{oadest}- Maps to
- ad_id
- Identifies
- ad
Macros not yet checked against SourceKnowledge’s documentation. SourceKnowledge docs
The verdict works the same way on every network. ValidVisit never changes your SourceKnowledge account: you make the exclusion there yourself. How the verdict works →
SourceKnowledge traffic quality, answered.
Where do I block a SubID in SourceKnowledge?
Under Tools > Allow & Block Lists, where you create a list and associate it with specific campaigns, or add the SubID to a Global Block List that applies across every campaign on the account. You can also act inline: each SubID in a campaign’s Sub ID or Channel Summary report has a dropdown with an “Add to list” option. Short of a block, you can bid down or pause a SubID, or automate it with Rules.
SourceKnowledge doesn’t report device, OS or connection data. Does that limit what ValidVisit can judge?
No. The verdict is reached on your page, not read from fields the ad network reports, so it doesn’t depend on SourceKnowledge passing anything about the visitor. What the missing data costs you is only a cross-check against a declared profile.
Which SourceKnowledge tokens give the most useful segmentation in ValidVisit?
{subid} does the real work: it names the sub-source behind each click and is the same unit the allow and block lists use. {clickid} gives per-click identity and ties each judged visit back to a SourceKnowledge click record. {oadest} shows whether a weak pattern spans the sub-source or is confined to one destination promoted there — the difference between blocking the sub-source and changing what you send it.
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Find the bots in your SourceKnowledge spend.
See which publishers and placements send real buyers vs bots — every visit judged Valid or Invalid, worst first.
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