If you’re in the online advertising business, then you know that click fraud is a big problem. But what exactly is click fraud, and how does it work? In this post, we’ll take a look at the answer to both of those questions.
What is clicks fraud?
Click fraud is when an individual or business uses automated software to generate clicks on online ads without being interested in the ad or its content.
They have done this to make money from pay-per-click (PPC) advertising networks.
How does click fraud work?
Click fraud works by using bots, scripts, or other automated methods to generate fake clicks. These clicks are registered as legitimate within the PPC advertising system and paid for by the advertising when truth they were not made by an actual user. The perpetrators of click fraud can earn money through illegitimate means without actually generating any real value for their customers.
There are a few different types of Click Fraud:
• Automatic clicking
With the help of software or script that generates large numbers of click-on ads.
• Manual clicking
Manual clicks are the people who either pay others to click on ads or manually do it themselves to increase the cost per click (CPC).
• Click stuffing
These involve placing multiple ads on a website that are likely to be clicked upon and then stuffing those clicks with illegitimate clicks.
How to prevent Click Fraud
• Monitor and analyze traffic sources
Using tools like Google Analytics, check to see where your clicks are coming from and look for any suspicious patterns or trends that could indicate fraud.
• Review third-party services
Make sure that any third-party services you use to manage digital campaigns are using legitimate practices and not engaging in click fraud.
• Utilize anti-fraud technology
There are a variety of tools available to help detect and prevent fraudulent clicks, such as IP filtering, device fingerprinting, user behavior tracking, and URL pattern analysis.
• Implement blacklisting policies
Create blacklists of known fraudulent sites or IP addresses so they don’t have an opportunity to defraud your campaigns.
• Monitor ad performance
Closely monitor the performance of each of your ads on a regular basis and look for signs of suspicious activity, such as sudden spikes in clicks from unknown sources or unusually high click-through rates.
• Track user behavior
See how users interact with your digital campaigns and look for any suspicious patterns or trends that could indicate fraud.
• Leverage data analytics
Use data analytics to detect discrepancies between clicks and conversions and look for any unusual patterns that may indicate fraudulent activity.
• Improve verification processes
Enhance verification processes by requiring email address confirmation when individuals sign up for accounts, using secure authentication techniques, and asking users to complete CAPTCHA tests to prove they are human.
• Monitor user activity
Track user activity and review any changes in behavior such as an uptick in activity, unusual IP addresses, or sudden increase in login attempts to identify potential fraudsters.
• Implement fraud prevention software
Utilize specialized anti-fraud software that can detect suspicious activities so you can take action quickly before the fraudster is able to do any damage.