Click fraud
-
Whats the best software to use to protect against click fraud?
-
If you are using any paid search services other than Google or Bing, I would strongly look into click fraud detection. The easiest way to do this is on your own end...
First, you want to make sure that it is a real user, not a bot. You can check the following...
1. Does the user carry a referrer?
2. Does the user accept cookies?
3. Does the user allow javascript?
4. Does the user allow flash?The above are some simple tests - neither of them individually conclusive - that can test if it is a bot.
Secondly, you want to make sure it is not the same user over and over again, by tracking IP addresses.
Third, you should make sure that your clicks aren't being generated in small iframes or popunders - the easiest way to do this is with javascript and capturing the window size and/or whether self.window = top.window.
Fourth, you should track what users are doing once they reach your site. If your conversion rate is less than 1/10th of Google AdWords or Bing, you should be concerned.
You can always use a third party software like AdWatcher, which is pretty good. It can get buggy in large volumes though.
Good Luck.
-
Google and the other search engines have pretty good systems in place to detect and protect against clickfraud. They have billions of dollars invested into the reliability of their ad programs. I wouldn't be overly concerned but you should definitely use analytics tools to monitor your data. If you suspect clickfraud, definitely let the correct representatives know and they will investigate.. Google in particular has been very good at making reps more available to endusers even with lower adspend.
Click Fraud is much less of an issue today than it was a decade ago. These companies have too much too lose if the reliability of the ad system were compromised. They need to serve relevant ads to relevant searchers otherwise advertisers wont pay and the system would break.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Unsolved Google Ads Not Getting Clicks or Impressions
I have been running some google ads - in the past 7 days I've had no clicks or impressions is this common? #ads
Paid Search Marketing | | PermaTherm0 -
PPC click-through rate by position
Hey Mozzers, I'm trying to find an average CTR by position in the SERPs for paid search ads, but I can't find a reliable source. Does anybody have this information, or can anybody share their own thoughts based on experience? Thanks!
Paid Search Marketing | | Zoope0 -
Google Adwords Clicks not registering properly???
Hello Moz World, I am running a Google Adwords campaign utilizing Google Search and Search Partners only. These are traditional text ads. When I look at the analytics through Google Adwords, I am seeing 60 clicks. Great! However, when I look through the keywords in the ad groups, none of my keywords are registering clicks. I also checked search terms under the keyword tab, and no keywords are populating. Where are my ads being clicked, and how can I view information on these clicks. This is a relatively new campaign, and I am still trying to figure out if I am targeting the right keywords. Thanks ahead of time for all the great responses! B/R Will H.
Paid Search Marketing | | MarketingChimp100 -
Adwords Conversions - Trying to track button clicks that fire when Bootstrap modal contact form clicked/opened
Hi there, I'm trying to implement google adwords conversions on a particular client's website. They have used bootstrap as the framework for their site and mainly open up contact forms within a bootstrap modal, after a button is clicked. See here: http://www.gtwstorage.co.uk/ I thought I had successfully implemented the adwords conversion tracking however it has been a week now, and my conversions still say they are "unverified". I wonder if anyone else has encountered this before and knows what I might be doing wrong. Thank you in advance, Darren
Paid Search Marketing | | SEODarren0 -
Genuine Bot or not! Click fraud?
We are having high levels of activity on one site from Ip addresses that resolve to be legitimate search engine bots. But, the cookie from our site is identifying an individual user. Is this a real person verifying our site or a click fraud that is well disguised. Some of the clicks generate gclid strings but never any sales.
Paid Search Marketing | | Eff-Commerce0 -
How To Increase Clicks In Google Shopping?
I have about 613 furniture products in Google shopping and am getting about 2 clicks a day. Any tips on getting more clicks? Current budget is $10 a day at $0.01 per click bid. Should I increase my bid per click or add more products or both? Thanks!
Paid Search Marketing | | The_Kiwi_Man0 -
Cost of Retargeting (Remarketing) Ad Clicks
If you run an Adwords banner campaign with retargeting, how is the cost per click determined? My hunch is that it would be different than text ads in search result pages.
Paid Search Marketing | | ProjectLabs0 -
Content Network Clicks Not Count as Paid Search
So I've been noticing that the "searches" being recorded in Omniture for my paid search campaigns are closer to the total number of clicks that I get on my "search" campaign. However, when I look at the total number of clicks the discrepancy between the two is high...I'm talking 30 to 40% difference.... So I was thinking that perhaps neither Omniture nor Google Analytics really count clicks coming from the "Content Network" as searches or visits? Would anyone agree to this, or does anyone have any other clever ideas? Thanks!! -Margarita
Paid Search Marketing | | MargaritaS0