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Google Releases Analysis of Click-Fraud Detection
fragmentate writes "This morning Google released information about their analysis of the exaggerated click-fraud numbers. Without pointing fingers, they mention that click-fraud analysis companies need to clean up their methods. From the post, 'A rigorous technical analysis by Google engineers has found fundamental flaws in the work of several click fraud consultants - flaws that help explain why widely quoted estimates of the size of the click fraud problem are exaggerated.' They even point out some obvious shortcomings of the methods used. The entire report [PDF] is available with their complete analysis."
For the past few years we have had ads running on adsense... 2 weeks ago, we decided we would rather lose the sales that adsense was bringing in than continue to pay google for ads that weren't generating enough revenue.
For comparison, our conversion rates:
Google Search: 3.5%
Google adsense: 0.25%
I don't know what other companies are doing.. but I wouldn't be surprised companies are considering dropping adsense. There is just to much fraud.
Meanwhile, two friends of mine had their google accounts cancelled and funds withdrawn because Google accused them of click-fraud. Of course they had nothing to do with it and when they pleaded their cases to Google they got no reply. Google doesn't have to care because they have so many other willing partners. They were even willing to provide click logs and etc. But they just ignored ignored it. I guess it's cheaper to just cancel accounts who are suspected of click-fraud then actually investigate. But if all it takes is a few malicious users with some scripting knowledge and open proxies to ruin my revenue why should I as a publisher use Google Adsense?
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My company has about 2MM in sales annually, and we spend almost $500,000 a year on Google Adwords. Over 90% of our sales come from Google. We're getting a conversion rate that is less then one percent and it's gotten worse over time. If it continues to drop we'll have no choice but reduce our adwords cost-per-click limit and take our advertising dollars elsewhere. No matter how you spell it, that means problems for the GOOG.
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Google does not pay per impression, they pay per click. This is the reason that click fraud is so frustrating. The parents suggestions are perfectly reasonable. Providing the person creating the add and paying google with a means to audit their bill is perfectly reasonable. Does your mobile phone carrier just sent you a bill at the end of the month with minutes used and a dollar amount? They provide you with a list of phone calls made (at least mine does). Having a bill that you can audit against your records gives the bidder peice of mind. There is no ethical argument against it. As is always the case with business...there is of course a business case against it.
Fear trumps hope and ignorance trumps both
"Google does not even allow you to ignore clicks and impressions from your own IP for testing" - Not true!
There is a "debug" parameter you can add to your AdSense snippet which will make ads show up but not make impressions or clicks count. I got this info from Google support when I asked them about exactly this issue.
Simply add the following to your AdSense Javascript parameters: google_adtest="on";
For more info, see http://www.gidnetwork.com/b-5.html (no, this is not my site).
I'd complain, but you seem to be doing better with my post than I did.
'Sensible' is a curse word.