Google "comes clean" about Click Fraud

[GoPC]

I told you guys months ago that Google HAS a way of tracking clicks coming from one's own computer or connection and could EASILY and simply deny payments for these KNOWN infractions.... Apparently, Google has decided to admit that in order to put some positive spin on the problem and make the issue seem smaller and more trivial than the Advertisers say it is...

Quote:

"These reports have flawed methodologies," said Shuman Ghosemajumder, Google's business product manager for trust and safety. "They also have a financial incentive."

Almost sounds as if Google is accusing the advertisers of being "fradulent" themselves. Figures....

Read the full article HERE: GOOGLE COMES CLEAN

Can you say AH-HA!!!! ???

GoPC

 

[Phronesis]

Click fraud is a real threat to revenue domainers. However, I don't think the threat of click fraud comes from the occassional noob who thinks he can click on his own ads every once in a while and get away with it. I think it comes from the small biz who can't afford the keyword bid that his competitor made so he clicks him out of number one to bump himself up. Eventually advertisers will not be willing to pay for clicks in the form we have now unless Google has some way to identify who's making the clicks.

 

[GreenGambler]

I agree, the real threat to us is "competitor sabatoge". People who click the top 3 or so copetitor ads whenever they can.

Some people go as far as to search all there keywords and click the top few sponsored ads that appear for each keyword searched.

So lets say that I have my adwords set at a $10/day budget. If I'm bidding on expensive keywords like "online games" I could be over budget within a few or more clicks from a competitor. In effect this would bump his ad up a notch, I would get horrible roi and have to end my campaing, believing its a waste of money.

I posted this topic on another forum and recieved a great response.

I call these people "crankClickers" and they are scum. I know a person who has admitted to me that he does this to web development ads. I asked him how the hell he runs his web development site clicking comp. ads all the time. And he says that it only takes a few minutes of his time everyday and that he only clicks the top 3 ads, everywhere he can find them. I then told him how disgusted I am by this, he laughed and I left.


This dude and others like him probably waste thousands of advertisers dollars daily by doing this.

It makes me second guess my PPC ad campaigns.

Also since hearing this if I do PPC advertise, I never shoot for the #1 spot. This gets the most "crankClicksters" and "windowshoppers".

I usally go for 3 or 4.

I think we should all start trying to underbid each other, wow wouldn't that be a hot mess for google.