Click Fraud

 

Click Fraud

If you're a Google AdWords or AdSense user, you've probably heard of "click fraud," a new technique in the underworld of computers that's gaining popularity. But what exactly is click fraud, and how is it perpetrated, is a mystery.

Basically, AdSense is a payment method that gives a set amount of money to a publisher (someone who has an AdSense banner on their page) every time someone clicks on the banner displayed in question. As a result, click fraud is the practice of tricking individuals into clicking on advertisements only for the purpose of increasing one's income.

There are people who put up websites solely for the intention of defrauding Google's AdSense program by collecting cash through the use of affiliate links. Users achieve an astonishing amount of clicks by a variety of tactics, some of which are intricate and sophisticated and others which are plain and straightforward.

One of the most complicated is the usage of so-called "hitbots," which are automated programs. These are automated programs that simulate the act of clicking on the links in AdSense advertisements (there are some that actually click the banners as well).

Google's AdSense protection method is far from ideal, and practically anyone can learn how to circumvent it by conducting a simple Google search, which, paradoxically, is free of charge.

Another, more rudimentary way is to employ a large number of people in a poor country to visit your website and click on the links. This means that these folks will literally sit around all day clicking on links, allowing you to make a fortune. They are from extremely impoverished nations such as India, and they are willing to work for as little as $0.50 an hour.

There is, of course, a flaw in this particular method. Google will prohibit both the IP address and the website that included the AdSense banner if it obtains a big number of clicks from a single source. The fraudster may also be sued if Google finds out about the fraudulent activity.

Many users utilize a huge number of proxy servers solely for the purpose of clicking in order to avoid this from happening to them. These are essentially Trojan horses that may be found on computers all around the world (though mostly in the US). Furthermore, because these clicks will look to originate from a legitimate computer, it will be extremely difficult to detect such scams as they are currently in use.

Not only that, but don't assume this is something that just happens in isolated cases. An enormous amount of unlawful activities takes place in this sector.

It's so widespread that if search engine providers don't beef up security with services like AdSense, this type of illicit activity could become even more detrimental.

Google has a severe policy against click fraud, and it has taken legal action against anyone who have attempted to use such strategies in the past. However, while the search engine behemoth makes every effort to reduce the possibility of click fraud, there is still much space for improvement.

It is estimated that more than 20% of the clicks that occur after an AdSense link are only for the purpose of receiving money from the person who paid for the ad. Some people claim that the number of fake clicks is significantly higher than the actual number of legitimate clicks.

Besides click fraud, there are numerous other techniques that involve click fraud, such as groups of AdSense publishers clicking on one other's links (a practice known as "clicking rings") or spamming individuals in order to get them to click on such links.

Despite the fact that Google is still keeping a tight grip on click fraud, the situation is causing some concern among advertisers on AdWords. However, advertising using Google's AdSense is still more profitable for the advertiser when compared to traditional untargeted advertising schemes.

There are several safeguards against such techniques, and all advertisers should be knowledgeable enough to know how to use them. Because of concerns about click fraud, many advertisers choose to stay away from the content network entirely.

For the best results, you must use specialty website templates that have been optimized for search engines. AdsenseTemplates.com (http://www.adsensetemplates.com) is a website where you can find the greatest Adsense templates and blog templates available. Every month, they provide 100 brand-new templates to their customers.