Comments on: Just How Bad Is Click Fraud? http://www.bivingsreport.com/2006/just-how-bad-is-click-fraud/ The Bivings Report (TBR) is a source of news, insight, research and analysis on the web-based communications industry. TBR content is posted, created and managed by internet strategists, media/communications analysts, web developers, designers and programmers, all of whom are employees of The Bivings Group. Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:36:11 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: fgb http://www.bivingsreport.com/2006/just-how-bad-is-click-fraud/comment-page-1/#comment-6639 fgb Mon, 23 Oct 2006 21:43:57 +0000 http://www.bivingsreport.com/2006/just-how-bad-is-click-fraud/#comment-6639 Interesting point. As you know, most spam sites are just contextual links (AdSense, mostly). Anecdotal research among our clients suggests that AdSense is not very valuable anyway. But that there is just such a huge number of sites in their network that generates these revenue numbers. Interesting point. As you know, most spam sites are just contextual links (AdSense, mostly). Anecdotal research among our clients suggests that AdSense is not very valuable anyway. But that there is just such a huge number of sites in their network that generates these revenue numbers.

]]> By: Richard Ball http://www.bivingsreport.com/2006/just-how-bad-is-click-fraud/comment-page-1/#comment-6581 Richard Ball Mon, 23 Oct 2006 18:47:41 +0000 http://www.bivingsreport.com/2006/just-how-bad-is-click-fraud/#comment-6581 The article also states that "Experts think click fraud is especially prevalent on sites affiliated with search engines." Most of the click fraud occurs from buying contextual advertising and *not* search engine advertising. Advertisers can opt out of contextual advertising. If they did so, click fraud would not be such a hot topic. Google would also lose its growth momentum. As you noted, they made ~$1 billion from partner sites (not sure if that's purely content partner sites - AdSense - or also search network partners). So, Google doesn't have any incentive to have contextual ads turned off by default. That would, however, be a more honest approach. And the perception of click fraud as a massive problem would virtually disappear. The article also states that “Experts think click fraud is especially prevalent on sites affiliated with search engines.” Most of the click fraud occurs from buying contextual advertising and *not* search engine advertising. Advertisers can opt out of contextual advertising. If they did so, click fraud would not be such a hot topic.

Google would also lose its growth momentum. As you noted, they made ~$1 billion from partner sites (not sure if that’s purely content partner sites – AdSense – or also search network partners). So, Google doesn’t have any incentive to have contextual ads turned off by default. That would, however, be a more honest approach. And the perception of click fraud as a massive problem would virtually disappear.

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