Good Clicks, Bad Clicks: Recognizing The Signs Of Click Fraud by Entrepreneur Magazine EBiz Radio Show
0 Comments Published by Jadir on Tuesday, July 18, 2006 at 3:16 AM.
What is Click Fraud?
Boris Mordkovich of Search Marketing Standard, a magazine devoted
exclusively to search marketing, defines click fraud as “any click made
on an ad with no intention of actually buying or looking for
information, but rather with the intention of depleting the
advertiser’s budget.”
Who is Behind It?
Who would benefit from deliberately running up your bill? To start
with, your competition would. The ads in the top spots are always in
the crosshairs of the ads a little further down the page. And if your
competitor clicks on your ad a few times a day or a few times a week,
the search engines won’t notice such small numbers. Doesn’t sound like
much but it can really add up, especially when you have multiple
competitors doing it. So they just chip away at your budget until you
can no longer afford to advertise on that search engine.
Another common source of click fraud is search engine affiliates.
When webmasters get a cut of the revenue from the ads on their sites,
they sometimes play the same game as your competitors. They quietly
click away at your ad and raise your bill—and their profits—one click
at a time.
“It Could Happen To You”—Fighting Back
When you think you have found a case of click fraud, you need to gather your information:
1. the questionable clicks
2. the keywords that were clicked on
3. when they were clicked on, and
4. the country from which the clicks originated.
You can do this yourself by monitoring your server logs and
watching for unusual increases in activity or repeated clicks from the
same ISP address. Or you can get a third party to research it for you.
Clickclub.com, AdWatcher.com and WhosClickingWho.com are examples of
services that will analyze which of your clicks are valid and present
you with all the relevant information in an organized report. This type
of service may cost you from twenty to a hundred dollars a month.
You can email this information to your search engine and request an
investigation for the purpose of obtaining a refund. Mordkovich warns
that you should expect some resistance, but says “it’s important to
elevate the issue to a supervisor.” If the search engines know you are
serious, they will look into your claims.
The key to not becoming a click fraud victim is to be aware. Watch
the sources of your clicks. Check your server logs. Watch for spikes.
Consider a third party watchdog if necessary. Click fraud is both real
and prevalent. So use a little caution and you can save yourself a
great deal of money down the road.
About The Author:
This article was based on an interview from the Entrepreneur
Magazine eBiz Radio Show. To listen or read the full written
transcripts of the show go tohttp://www.ebizshow.com
Boris Mordkovich of Search Marketing Standard, a magazine devoted
exclusively to search marketing, defines click fraud as “any click made
on an ad with no intention of actually buying or looking for
information, but rather with the intention of depleting the
advertiser’s budget.”
Who is Behind It?
Who would benefit from deliberately running up your bill? To start
with, your competition would. The ads in the top spots are always in
the crosshairs of the ads a little further down the page. And if your
competitor clicks on your ad a few times a day or a few times a week,
the search engines won’t notice such small numbers. Doesn’t sound like
much but it can really add up, especially when you have multiple
competitors doing it. So they just chip away at your budget until you
can no longer afford to advertise on that search engine.
Another common source of click fraud is search engine affiliates.
When webmasters get a cut of the revenue from the ads on their sites,
they sometimes play the same game as your competitors. They quietly
click away at your ad and raise your bill—and their profits—one click
at a time.
“It Could Happen To You”—Fighting Back
When you think you have found a case of click fraud, you need to gather your information:
1. the questionable clicks
2. the keywords that were clicked on
3. when they were clicked on, and
4. the country from which the clicks originated.
You can do this yourself by monitoring your server logs and
watching for unusual increases in activity or repeated clicks from the
same ISP address. Or you can get a third party to research it for you.
Clickclub.com, AdWatcher.com and WhosClickingWho.com are examples of
services that will analyze which of your clicks are valid and present
you with all the relevant information in an organized report. This type
of service may cost you from twenty to a hundred dollars a month.
You can email this information to your search engine and request an
investigation for the purpose of obtaining a refund. Mordkovich warns
that you should expect some resistance, but says “it’s important to
elevate the issue to a supervisor.” If the search engines know you are
serious, they will look into your claims.
The key to not becoming a click fraud victim is to be aware. Watch
the sources of your clicks. Check your server logs. Watch for spikes.
Consider a third party watchdog if necessary. Click fraud is both real
and prevalent. So use a little caution and you can save yourself a
great deal of money down the road.
About The Author:
This article was based on an interview from the Entrepreneur
Magazine eBiz Radio Show. To listen or read the full written
transcripts of the show go tohttp://www.ebizshow.com
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