Writing in the New York Times today, Nat Ives sheds light on the newest scam: click fraud. Since pay-per-click advertising (and there’s some on our site) is the newest cash cow for companies like Google, this could be a huge problem very soon.
It’s also the latest gotcha for marketers who are desperate to precisely measure their results (or ROI for you DM dorks). The more we rely on back-room technology to track an ad’s impact and determining its ultimate cost, the easier it will be for hackers and scammers to screw with the system.
Ack! Click fraud is coming. Click fraud is coming.
But as much as I hate click fraud, you know what? I’ll let you in on a dirty little secret. This is nothing new. Click fraud has been a scourge of the print industry for eons.
How is relying on back-room technology to track an ad’s impact any worse than relying on Arbitron, Neilson or frontline people asking customers if they remember where they saw your ad? At least the back-room technology provides marketers with a chance to spot the fraud rather than just accepting it as a fact of life.
I never said it was worse. I have my doubts about TV & radio ratings too.
Click fraud
Interesting article from the NY Times: Web marketers fearful fraud in pay-per-click. Here’s the intro:Businesses that pay billions to Google and Overture to steer potential customers to their Web sites are increasingly questioning how much fraud lurks …