what is ppc click fraud and should you care?
DESCRIPTION
A presentation by SEOcial that investigates pay per click (PPC) click fraud and click fraud prevention software. In this presentation we dissect the anatomy of how fraudulent clicks are generated, analyze who is most susceptible to such techniques and compare approaches in preventing click fraud. In the process, we unearth the fact that many click fraud prevention tools bloat figures to attract more business. For more content like this, follow @SEOcial and check out our site and blog at http://SEOcial.lyTRANSCRIPT
Click fraud is a cyber-crime targeting Pay Per Click (PPC) ads.
It occurs when a person, script or spyware simulates repeated
clicking on ads to generate false revenue.
S E O C I A L®
S E O C I A L®
H O W I T [ T Y P I C A L LY ] W O R K S
A rogue site is approved as an advertiser to an advertising
network; Google Adsense for instance.
The rogue site creates a script or disseminates malware that repeatedly
clicks on its ads. It may also accomplish this by hiring humans via a service.
An advertiser pays the ad network for the
false clicks.
The rogue site is given a portion of the
payment.
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Deplete the advertising budgets of competitors.
S E O C I A L®
P U R P O S E O F C L I C K F R A U D
To generate false revenue.
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S E O C I A L®
H O W B A D I S I T ?
Most estimates place click fraud rates
at about 15% worldwide
Click fraud is less common in the United States, but a
growing problem in countries like Russia, Brazil, China, etc.
[objective source]
S E O C I A L®
P R E VA L E N C E
While this is a more problematic issue with smaller ad networks, it is not as common in
large networks, like Google Adsense.
By clicking on a competitor’s ads, the network determines that those ads are more relevant
and appear more frequently.
— Why? —
S E O C I A L®
W H AT D O A D N E T W O R K S D O A B O U T T H I S ?
Most networks have some degree of click fraud detection set up, but third party
services also exist to help detect fraudulent clicks.
S E O C I A L®
B U T T H E S E T H I R D PA R T I E S H AV E A DIRTY l i t t l e S ECRE T
They inflate click fraud statistics and then sue large ad networks for publicity
(yeah, that’s a typo in their logo.)
filed a class action lawsuit against Google
claiming that 38% of PPC clicks were fraudulent.
Suggesting such high numbers puts click fraud
prevention software in the spotlight
[source][source][source]
‣ Click fraud is a cyber-crime targeting PPC ads.
‣ It occurs when a person or script simulates repeated clicking on ads to generate false revenue.
‣ It is performed both to generate false revenue and to deplete the advertising budgets of competitors.
‣ Ad networks look out for click-fraud, but click fraud detection software also exists to help prevent advertisers from becoming victims.
S E O C I A L®
‣ You’re advertising on smaller, lesser known networks.
‣ You’re running banner ads or non-SERP (search engine results pages) text ads.
‣ You’re advertising in developing countries or second-world nations with a strong tech presence.
S E O C I A L®
C O N C L U S I O N
You’re especially susceptible to click fraud if..
Some click fraud prevention solutions to
explore are..
‣ Determine how the network you’re advertising on addresses click fraud. Do they address fraudulent clicks from malware?
‣ Install free (search for open source solutions) click fraud detection scripts on your site to identify multiple clicks from the same IP, same IP block, clicks from public proxy IP’s, clicks from suspicious user agents, etc.
‣ If it’s absolutely necessary explore a paid click fraud prevention solution, but conduct careful research first.
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