Click Fraud and the downfall of Google
Internet marketers facing higher advertising fees on search
networks are becoming increasingly concerned about a form of
online fraud that was thought to have been contained years ago.
The practice, known as "click fraud," began in the early days of
the Internet's mainstream popularity with programs that
automatically surfed Web sites to increase traffic figures. This
led companies to develop policing technologies touted as
antidotes to the problem. But some marketing executives estimate
that up to 50 percent of fees in certain advertising categories
continue to be based on non-existent consumers in today's search
industry. Sam Fritsberg of ArticleDash.com states that the fraud
has reached proportions that would shatter Googles stock in
half, overnight, were they more widely known.
"We continue to detect click fraud, especially with Google's
Adwords and Adsense programs, and the numbers grow each and
every month." says Sam. "I wouldn't be suprised if many of the
advertiser horror stories are in fact true and there are people
who make thousands a week commiting pay per click fraud by
clicking on the ads served on their own website for commission."
adds Sam Fritsburg.
In one recent example of the problem, law enforcement officials
say a California man created a software program that he claimed
could let spammers bilk Google out of millions of dollars in
fraudulent clicks. Authorities said he was arrested while trying
to blackmail Google for US$150,000 to hand over the program. He
was indicted by a California jury in June.
Matt Parrella, chief of the San Jose branch of the US Attorney's
Office in Northern California, said that case was "not unique."
The problem "is certainly not shrinking, and we're ready to
prosecute people," said Parrella, whose office handled the
Google case.
Click fraud is perpetrated in both automated and human ways. The
most common method is the use of online robots, or "bots,"
programmed to click on advertisers' links that are displayed on
Web sites or listed in search queries. A growing alternative
employs low-cost workers who are hired in China, India and other
countries to click on text links and other ads. A third form of
fraud takes place when employees of companies click on rivals'
ads to deplete their marketing budgets and skew search results.
"Click fraud not only is used to attack competition, but as a
rip off by publishers who click on their own ads, the ones being
served up on their own websites, in an effort to steal
advertising dollars by the click", says Sam of ArticleDash.com.
"Our solution to this model is to offer webmasters free organic
search engine optimization, but in a way that helps the net
rather than promoting the current fraud Google is making
billions from."
Although the extent of click fraud is impossible to measure with
any certainty, its persistence has exposed a fundamental
weakness in the promising business of Internet search marketing.
Google is tight lipped and has declined to comment.
"It's hard to tell how big the problem is, but people are
looking at it closer and closer as the cost of search
advertising goes up," said John Squire, vice president of
business development of Coremetrics, a Web analytics firm.
"Click fraud is a fin sticking out of the water: You're not sure
if it's a great white shark or a dolphin." Maybe ArticleDash is
on to something here. Maybe organic is the way to go afterall.
Unlike advertising in traditional media such as billboards and
print publications, "cost per click" Internet ads displayed with
specific keyword searches have been promoted as a definitive way
for companies to gauge their exposure to potential customers. As
a result, US sales from advertiser-paid search results are
expected to grow 25 percent this year to $3.2 billion, up from
$2.5 billion in 2003, according to research firm eMarketer. From
2002 to 2003, the market rose by 175 percent.
"As more advertisers have competed for desirable keywords in
their industries, the cost for clicks has risen too." Sam of
ArticleDash.com continues, "On average, advertisers are paying
45 cents per click this year, according to financial analysts,
up from 40 cents in 2003 and 30 cents in the second quarter of
2002. In certain sectors, such as travel, legal advice and
gaming, the cost can reach several dollars per click." The
implications are indeed disturbing.
But marketing executives say click fraud is pervasive among
affiliates of search leaders Google, Yahoo-owned Overture
Services and FindWhat.com. In a typical affiliation, any Web
publisher can become a partner of these large networks by
displaying their paid links on a Web page or within its own
search results and then share in the profits with every click.
"A common practice is the use of proxies, where by tricking
Google into thinking the click is originating from another
computer, possibly in another country, and the click fraud
artist... more webmasters than you think.. walks away with a
handsome undeserved profit." says Sam.
"There's a fatal flaw in the cost-per-click model because a ton
of marketing dollars can be depleted in a fraction of a second,"
said Jessie Stricchiola, president of Alchemist Media, a
search-engine marketing firm based in Los Angeles that
specialises in fraud protection. "Technology is continuing to be
developed that can exploit this pricing model at incredibly high
volumes."
Google's Answer Google declined an interview for this report,
but the company said in a statement that it has been "the target
of individuals and entities using some of the most advanced spam
techniques for years. We have applied what we have learned with
search to the click fraud problem and employ a dedicated team
and proprietary technology to analyse clicks." Many disagree,
however, and claim that the pay per click indestry is doomed.
Organic Optimization a la ArticleDash.com seems to be the next
big thing, and at least this time the risk is limited and the
free upside results seems unlimited.