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Click fraud has become a major
problem for online marketers. If you participate on Google
adwords campaigns or Overture, you must already pay a lot
for your campaigns.
What is click fraud?
Click fraud is the deliberate clicks to PPC search engine
ads for completely other reasons than expressing interest
for buying the related products or services.
Overture defines click fraud as
clicks arising for reasons other than the good-faith
intention of an Internet user to visit a web site to
purchase goods or services or to obtain information.
Google defines click fraud, or
invalid clicks, as any method used to artificially and/or
maliciously generate clicks or page impressions.
In simple words, Click fraud means
that someone is cheating you and that you pay too much for
your pay per click campaigns.
Who is doing that?
Three main groups click on pay per click ads, without real
interest in the offered goods:
1. People who joined Google AdSense
or other per click affiliate programs click on the ads on
their own web site to make a little income. Often, these
people cooperate with other webmasters to click on each
other's ads.
2. Some unethical companies click on
the pay per click ads of competitors to drive up their
advertising costs.
3. Companies (often in India, Russia
and China) hire people who are paid to click on ads.
Google and other search networks
provide refunds to advertisers when click fraud has been
discovered. Google and Overture employ "fraud
squads," or teams of people dedicated to fighting
click schemes. But at least two marketing executives say
such countermeasures are missing fraudulent clicks that
are responsible for between 5 percent and 20 percent of
advertising fees paid to all search networks.
This is a huge problem. There is no
“pay per click” Company denying that click fraud
exists. Web analytics companies estimates that the 50% of
all click activity is fraudulent. This means that
your pay per click marketing activities are half effective
as they could be because of click fraud.
Overture spokeswoman Jennifer
Stephens refutes that estimate, saying that the numbers
likely represent acts of fraud that are ultimately caught.
She added that Overture filters most fraudulent clicks
with the best antifraud system in the industry, which
combines technology and human analysis.
Most advertisers are aware of the click-fraud issue but
have not delved into it because of the technical
complexities involved. Others are concerned that they
could jeopardize their relationships with the powerful
search networks if they complain too loudly.
One of the best ways to eliminate
click fraud is using anti click fraud services such as
ppctrax (www.ppctrax.com).
They provide services like these below:
IP address capture.
IP address geographic Location.
User Agent (browser, bot etc.)
See exactly what keywords are generating your clicks
Date and Time stamp
System detects sudden click spikes from one or more IP
addresses
Real-time email alerts at 80% and 100% of your account's
transaction utilization
IP address history - alert you to prior offenders
Another similar service is “who is
clicking who”:
http://www.whosclickingwho.com
Other ways is the click fraud
capture software like Click Auditor:
http://www.keywordmax.com/click_auditor.html
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