Tag Archives: Click Fraud
Click Fraud Rate Rises to 22.3 Percent in Q3 2010
Botnet and Traffic from Mobile Devices, Video Content, Social Networks, and User-Generated Content Click Forensics®, Inc. today released advertising audience quality figures for the third quarter 2010 from the industry’s leading independent online advertising data reporting service. Now in its … Continue reading
Filed under Uncategorized
Moving Forward by Stepping Back
“Perhaps it was the highly caffeinated sugar rush but at that moment, I had an epiphany. I realized the problem of click fraud was only going to get worse and more complex. Measure this challenge against the rapid growth of search marketing and there was an opportunity staring me in the face.” Continue reading
Filed under Click Fraud, Google, IAB, Microsoft, Online Advertising, Yahoo
Click Fraud Gets Slicker
“The article highlights “a new form of click fraud that accomplishes what online fraud watchdogs might have once thought impossible: a scam that not only simulates valid clicks on a Google ad sold to an advertiser, but seems to result in a real customer who spends money on the advertiser’s site.” This is the worst case scenario for an advertiser…” Continue reading
Filed under Click Fraud, Google, Online Advertising
Beware the “Bahama” Botnet
Just when you thought the fraudsters couldn’t get any more sophisticated … they surprise you. Click Forensics researchers have recently discovered one of the most advanced sources of click fraud we’ve seen. We’ve named it the “Bahama botnet” because when first discovered it was redirecting traffic through 200,000 parked domain sites located in the Bahamas. It has since been reprogrammed to redirect through other intermediate sites hosted in Amsterdam, the U.K., and even San Jose, CA, but the Bahama name stuck. Continue reading
Filed under Click Fraud, Google, Microsoft, Online Advertising, Yahoo
The Doctors Are ‘In’
Today we are thrilled to announce that Dr. Tuzhilin has joined the Click Forensics Advisory Board. Few individuals have had more real-world and academic experience in the measurement of online traffic quality and its effect on advertisers. His work has helped move the industry toward standards and cooperation. Continue reading
Filed under Click Fraud, Google, Online Advertising
Building on a Foundation of Success: IAB Guidelines
Over the past week four major players in the online media space have announced accreditation to the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s Click Measurement Guidelines. This list includes Yahoo!, Google, Microsoft and Business.com. I wanted to take a moment and explore why you should care about this development and what accreditation means for advertisers. Continue reading
Filed under Click Fraud, Google, IAB, Microsoft, Online Advertising, Yahoo
Scareware… the Next Internet Ripoff
Trust is what keeps consumers clicking on ads. Without stepped up industry efforts from organizations, like the Anti Phishing Working Groups and others, trust could be diminished. Like click fraud, scareware is damaging trust. Continue reading
Filed under Bing, Click Fraud, Online Advertising
The Buzz on Click Fraud
The good news is that online advertising is highly measurable. Large advertisers that traditionally have been offline are now shifting dollars online. This fact has contributed to online advertising continuing to grow as traditional media is in decline. Continue reading
Filed under Click Fraud, IAB, Online Advertising
SES New York 2009
Maybe true but “silly tweets” are only wasting time, not advertising dollars… Continue reading
Filed under Click Fraud, Online Advertising
How Botnets Take Control
The problem of botnets is getting worse, not better. In fact, over 30% of all click fraud comes from botnets, maybe even YOUR computer! Continue reading
Filed under Click Fraud, Online Advertising
IAB Click Measurement Guidelines
The Guidelines are an important foundational step for our industry. While no one document can solve the problem of click fraud or mitigate invalid traffic, it is encouraging to us to be at this point. Continue reading
Filed under Click Fraud, Click Quality Council, Google, IAB, Online Advertising, Yahoo
Insight into the Jump in Click Fraud
The overall rate jumped to 17.1%. This means that across our community of advertiser data, we find that 17.1% of all clicks are invalid and not worth paying for. There were three factors that drove the increase. Continue reading
Filed under Click Fraud, Online Advertising
Getting an Uptick in a Downturn
The number of advertisers affected by click fraud and the dollars lost continue to rise. As we face more sophisticated attacks in 2009, I wanted to highlight some recent advances in the battle and share some specific steps advertisers can do to ensure they get what they pay for. Continue reading
Filed under Click Fraud, Google, Online Advertising, Yahoo
“The Happiest Place on Earth”
What this means is that parked domain companies and site owners are being squeezed. This is a trend that will continue. Advertisers are demanding higher quality traffic and Google has had a hard time delivering that from low quality traffic sites like MySpace. Enter the parked domain channel. Continue reading
Filed under Click Fraud, Google, Online Advertising, Yahoo
Under the Iceberg
Over the past two years we have been trying to bring attention to the real danger of click fraud. It is a real problem that is getting worse not better. Since we began reporting our Click Fraud Index, the overall rate has climbed over 20%. Continue reading
Filed under Click Fraud, Online Advertising
Why Yahoo! Matters
A couple of weeks ago at Search Engine Strategies in New York, Click Fraud made big news. Yahoo announced a partnership with Click Forensics that changes the tone of the ongoing “Click Fraud Debate”. Since late 2005 there has … Continue reading
Filed under Click Fraud, Online Advertising, Yahoo
Stealing Clicks
Forbes reporter Andy Greenberg recently published a story with dueling perspectives from my friend Shuman, of Google, and me highlighting our differing views of the click fraud problem. It got me thinking about how far the community has come toward … Continue reading
Filed under Click Fraud, Google, Online Advertising
Profiting from Click Fraud
A day or so ago, Shuman Ghosemajumder from Google posted two blogs on his personal site questioning Click Forensics data, methodologies and motivation. While it is really unfortunate that we have to take time to address these issues, I will. It … Continue reading
Filed under Click Fraud, Google, Online Advertising
SES Chicago 2006
I am on my way back from Search Engine Strategies (SES) in Chicago. What could have been more fun than another click fraud panel this time in sunny Chicago in December! Honestly, I have been looking forward to participating with … Continue reading
Filed under Click Fraud
Announcing the Click Quality Council
I am pleased to announce the formation of the Click Quality Council. Around twenty forward thinking advertisers and agencies will convene quarterly to review news, share ideas and comment on recent industry developments. The complete list of members will be … Continue reading
Filed under Uncategorized
