'Click Fraud' Threatens Foundation of Web Ads - washingtonpost.com
"From her home surrounded by cornfields in Dow City, Iowa, Jackie Park spends hours each day on her computer, earning half a penny every time she clicks on an Internet advertisement."
With a lead-in like this, it is easy to understand why search engines might have trouble dealing with click fraud. The woman described above earns about $300 per year for clicking around the web on sites that her "handlers" direct her to.
There does not seem to be any way for a search engine to determine that the clicks coming from this computer are fraudulent. The only recourse they have is to examine the impact on the sites that are being defrauded to see any patterns that do not make sense. But that raises a different question. How do you determine that an increase in clicks is legitimate or fraudulent?
The advertisers are looking for an increase in clicks as a payoff for their ads. Getting clicks is an indication that the ads are working. Of course, what they really want is sales, not clicks. But how do you determine that the reason you are not selling is because the clicks are fraudulent rather than the fact that your landing page is not effectively selling your product?
As always, we continue to emphasize the benefits of creating an effective web site that will rank well in the organic listings. Spend your resources where they will give you the maximum payoff over the long term at the least cost to your business!
With a lead-in like this, it is easy to understand why search engines might have trouble dealing with click fraud. The woman described above earns about $300 per year for clicking around the web on sites that her "handlers" direct her to.
There does not seem to be any way for a search engine to determine that the clicks coming from this computer are fraudulent. The only recourse they have is to examine the impact on the sites that are being defrauded to see any patterns that do not make sense. But that raises a different question. How do you determine that an increase in clicks is legitimate or fraudulent?
The advertisers are looking for an increase in clicks as a payoff for their ads. Getting clicks is an indication that the ads are working. Of course, what they really want is sales, not clicks. But how do you determine that the reason you are not selling is because the clicks are fraudulent rather than the fact that your landing page is not effectively selling your product?
As always, we continue to emphasize the benefits of creating an effective web site that will rank well in the organic listings. Spend your resources where they will give you the maximum payoff over the long term at the least cost to your business!
posted by RGMyers at 5:19 PM
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