| Click fraud involves the process of | | | | Those who participate in the act of click |
| intentionally clicking ads listed on your | | | | fraud should be very careful. There are |
| website for the purpose of earning money | | | | strict guidelines in place by Google to |
| rather than intending to view the products of | | | | protect the reputation of their Adsense |
| the advertiser. Adsense involves placing ads | | | | operations. Anyone caught participating in |
| on your website for other businesses. The way | | | | click fraud will be banned from further |
| your website makes money is determined by the | | | | advertisements on their website. Google has |
| number of clicks to the advertiser's link. | | | | invested 2.7 million for their Fraud Squad. |
| Most websites who participate in Adsense are | | | | They feel this investment is worthwhile |
| honest. However, the issue of click fraud is | | | | though as click fraud is a serious issue. It |
| happening more often on the internet as the | | | | has the potential of destroying the entire |
| owner's of some websites have found it an | | | | advertising industry online as we know it. |
| enticing method of generating more money from | | | | |
| the advertisers. | | | | There are legal issues involved as well. A |
| | | | California man was charged with obtaining |
| With the onset of click fraud, software has | | | | more than $150,000 due to click fraud in |
| been designed to analyze data based on the | | | | 2004. He has been indited by a Grand Jury. |
| traffic to a website. This information is | | | | However, there are no state or federal laws |
| used to determine the possibility of click | | | | yet against click fraud. This particular man |
| fraud. If you advertise this way you should | | | | was only indited in his scam because he came |
| invest in click fraud software or you may pay | | | | clean about it with Google in a blackmail |
| more for advertising than you should be. This | | | | scheme. He was going to sell his secret of |
| software costs from $99 to $299, so it is | | | | how he did it to Google for another $150,000. |
| very cost effective. It is believed as much | | | | If they didn't give it to him he threatened |
| as 20% of the cost advertisers are paying out | | | | to keep on doing it. If we can get state and |
| each month is due to click fraud. With 3.2 | | | | federal laws to see click fraud as a |
| million dollars generated each year for this | | | | classification of fraud with the possibility |
| type of advertising, 20% is a very high | | | | of a felony charge and jail time it may deter |
| dollar amount to be losing! | | | | the amount of click fraud that takes place. |
| | | | |
| A common method of click fraud involves an | | | | Click fraud is a huge issue that plagues the |
| online robot that clicks away at the | | | | success of Adsense. If you participate in |
| advertisements listed on a particular | | | | Adsense then be warned on both sides of the |
| website. This is the quickest method. Others | | | | field. As a provider of such advertising |
| either do it themselves, clicking away at the | | | | don't be tempted to click on the ads yourself |
| ads on their own website or they hirer others | | | | or with an automated system. The risk of |
| to perform the task for them at a price much | | | | getting caught is very high as are the |
| less than what they receive in return from | | | | financial and legal repercussions. As an |
| the advertisers. Sometimes click fraud is | | | | advertiser pay close attention to high |
| done not to make money but to sabotage | | | | changes in advertising costs through Adsense. |
| competitors. This is done by finding websites | | | | Take the time to question these increases. Is |
| that advertise for them and continually click | | | | it click fraud or great increases in traffic? |
| the ads. This will then cost that competitor | | | | Have sales increased? It is a great idea to |
| a great deal of money they have to pay out | | | | invest in click fraud software as well to |
| for advertising without any hopes of | | | | protect your business as well as your |
| generating additional sales from that cost. | | | | advertising budget. |
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