Re: False Clicks/Click Fraud

From: Adam Audette <pubs_at_audettemedia.com>
Date: Tue 15 Aug 2006 17:39:25 -0500

Google is a business after all, and their AdWords and AdSense
programs represent very large incomes for the company. IAB and
PricewaterhouseCoopers released data on Internet advertising
recently: $3.9 billion in first quarter 2006. Google's share? A fat
58%.

It's obvious but needs restating: with such massive financial
incentives, Google faces a direct conflict of interest between
eliminating click fraud and hurting their bottom line.

So what's Google going to do about the turmoil - be it real,
imagined, or somewhere in between? Detlev Johnson reported today in
SearchReturn that Google prepared and delivered a report "from the
stage at Search Engine Strategies last week [that] took panelists
completely by surprise - and without time to respond." Google
called the methodology of third party monitoring services "very,
very flawed." http://directmag.com/news/google_clickfraud_surprise/

Detlev doesn't have today's copy of SR up yet, so I'm going to
quote a block from it here:

----------------
"Google stopped short of saying there was intentional wrongdoing,
but using a live platform without informing other panelists and
sharing the report ahead of time did not allow the proper discourse
about the problem as the room needed. Panelists could only offer a
delayed response after the chance to read the paper. The truth is
somewhere in between. What is true is that search engines take fair
measures against click fraud, and the problem is far worse than
they think.

"For example, Google produces a statistic that 800 clicks reported
as fraud converted at nearly the same rate as 24,000 clicks that
were not in dispute. A conversion does not automatically disprove
fraud. Conversion tracking may be designed to calculate signups,
and fake signup numbers can exceed what Google reports as fraud.
The most pernicious type of click fraud from PTR (Paid To Read)
gangs of clicksters is well suited for actually completing the
signup conversion process with completely fake information.

"The search giant either discovers bad clicks and doesn't charge
the advertiser for suspicious clicks - even those that lead to
conversions, or they wrongly assume a conversion is automatic proof
of a good click, even when it certainly is not. The thing about
conversion fraud is that it really is fraud. PTR users that take
the time to complete a form to show fake conversions are those that
do so specifically to fool the search engine. When calculated
together, these fake clicks and conversions at times can total to
high click fraud estimates that Google criticizes."

(www.searchreturn.com)
----------------

Is Google underestimating fraud? The SES incident makes me wonder
if "don't be evil" includes "don't be equivocal" in this case. If
so, that kind of closed authority is only going to widen the gulf
between publishers and the ad giant.

-Adam


Adam Audette, Publisher
LED Digest | the email discussion list
http://www.led-digest.com/





Received on Tue Aug 15 2006 - 17:39:25 CDT