Is it Click Fraud?

With the advent of pay-per-click promotion, little businesses can now afford targeted, content-related Web promotion campaigns. Google's Adwords service, for example, allows advertisers to set the cost they are willing to pay every time someone clicks on of their ads. The ads are placed on sites that display content that is relevant to what the advertiser is selling, thereby ensuring that a targeted audience will see them. This approach has been invaluable to the success of lots of little businesses. Regrettably, it's also created opportunities for fraud.

The sites that run your advertisement get paid based on the number of clicks each advertisement receives. Although this amount is usually only a few cents, fraudsters have realized that thousands of clicks per day can add up to lots of money. Usually, they will set up multiple sites that feature nothing but pay-per-click commercials. They then pay other people little fees to continually click on the ads, earning advertisement revenue without actually producing any sales for the advertisers. Some estimates place the average number of fraudulent clicks at 10-15% of the total click-thru rate, costing little businesses thousands of dollars.

Get more specific about where your ads are displayed. Although it is often tempting to cast the widest net feasible, use some judgment with placement. If your ideal customers are actual estate agents in North The united states, for example, why promote on Chinese sites? Google's Adwords service is simple to personalize. You ought to also pay close attention to where your traffic is coming from. Don't hesitate to alert Google in the event you get a giant number of suspicious clicks. They will work with you & may refund your expenditures. Keep in mind, companies like Google & Yahoo are also relying on pay-per-click promotion to succeed.

Companies like Google & Yahoo are actively working to reduce or eliminate fraudulent clicks by developing sophisticated program that attempts to filter out or block open to doubt sites. The fraudsters are working as hard to get around these obstacles, often developing their own programs designed to beat the method. What are you able to do to protect yourself?