Google AdSense Fraud - Deep Insight

It's worthwhile to examine Google's definition of Google AdSense and Click Fraud, before delving deeper into "AdSense Fraud".

Google AdSense fraud is one of the diseases that plague the Ad Words advertisers. The AdSense program essentially allows website publishers/owners to sign up with Google, enabling them to display Google Ads on their sites. These publishers essentially act as "Google Partners". The ads chosen by the Google bot for display are contextual and the ads are related to the contents of the publisher's website, more specifically that particular web page. The intent for Google is to capitalize on the traffic to these (in practice) niche sites and provide highly direct targeted traffic to the advertiser. A subset of the users of the Google Partner website, click on those ads and Google charges the advertiser per click. Google shares the booty with the website publisher but the revenue sharing ratio falls under Google's "undisclosed "criteria. While the exact amount can be reverse engineered, the take home lesson is that the filans a course of action. He "invests" in a clickbot software( a simple google search reveals many) and gets a list of anonymous proxy addresses. He then goes to register a few domains and hires someone off of elance to create a "network of sites"and " click bot " . He hopes that the interlinked sites will provide each some "link popularity" and increase his page rank. If only it were that simple! He then proceeds to use the $30 clickbot to start clicking on the sites. Or he could click on them himself manually using the proxies. We don't call him click monkey for nothing. He clicks and clicks all the way to see his account getting banned. No banana for this monkey! His calls of despair to google fall on deaf ears. This person is likely to quit, but sometimes retries to get up the food chain, the Wanna -Be-Fraudster.

Wanna -Be Fraudster ( aka BOZO):

This girl searches for high paying keywords like "home loan equity" (current ad words rate: $45), or "web hosting" (ad words costing $20). She correctly guesses that the AdSense payout is proportional to what Google earns and therefore homes in on such words. Her strategy is to make a page with contents that are appropriate for the targeted high payout keyword. She moves ahead by clicking on the link multiple times and recruits friends and family to give them a click. Or ten!

Little does she knlans a course of action. He "invests" in a clickbot software( a simple google search reveals many) and gets a list of anonymous proxy addresses. He then goes to register a few domains and hires someone off of elance to create a "network of sites"and " click bot " . He hopes that the interlinked sites will provide each some "link popularity" and increase his page rank. If only it were that simple! He then proceeds to use the $30 clickbot to start clicking on the sites. Or he could click on them himself manually using the proxies. We don't call him click monkey for nothing. He clicks and clicks all the way to see his account getting banned. No banana for this monkey! His calls of despair to google fall on deaf ears. This person is likely to quit, but sometimes retries to get up the food chain, the Wanna -Be-Fraudster.

Wanna -Be Fraudster ( aka BOZO):

This girl searches for high paying keywords like "home loan equity" (current ad words rate: $45), or "web hosting" (ad words costing $20). She correctly guesses that the AdSense payout is proportional to what Google earns and therefore homes in on such words. Her strategy is to make a page with contents that are appropriate for the targeted high payout keyword. She moves ahead by clicking on the link multiple times and recruits friends and family to give them a click. Or ten!

Little does she know that Google has a 45 day inspection period before she get her nubby little fingers on that cash. With little to no knowledge of Click through Ratio , her greed couples with her ignorance. Seeing her ill-gotten paper wealth multiplying in her AdSense interface, she increases the clicks. Google however inspects the CTR and throws a fit when they see a CTR exceeding 20%. Furthermore, Google notices clicks mostly originating from a few IP addresses and that essentially seals her fate (or rather docks her earnings). That virtual cash is now just some deleted bytes on a hard disk on Google's servers. She moans, nay she rail against the cruelty of Google's policy. Some of these people wisely cease and desist such activities, perhaps philosophizing about the NFL (no free lunch) theorem. Others however see it as ground school for the next stage of nefarious behavior. The Almost-There Fraudster.

Almost-There Fraudster ( aka SmartAlec ):

The archetypical ATF is supremely confident in his ability to fool Google. Like the BOZO, he looks for high paying keywords and makes appropriate website(s). Let's assume that he is in a third world country, just to make the case more interesting. The case described here is 1 year old news. He has read this article and taken the learnt the subsequent lesson . He knows that that the clicks from the IP Addresses of USA, UK & Canada are worth much more than the clicks from the IP Addresses from the third world countries. He therefore seeks to befriend people from such IP addresses by logging onto messenger services.

This way, he gets the unique, unrelated IP clicks and (he hopes) that Google is fooled. Remember "creature of the night". Well, these people typically are more than a few time zone removed from the US or Canada and therefore are up at odd hours whenever they feel that their targets are most likely to be active. Plus they sometimes have to deal with "inconveniences" like a day job.

AT fraud thinks that the clicks he obtained by trolling on these sites is a job well done. He has got clicks from the IP address of his choice .. An interesting factoid is that for AdSense, state also matters. Clicks from Washington and New York State have the highest payout for AdSense Fraud.

He has just one problem. His tragic flaw. While he worked so hard to get the unique IP and high earnings, he is not able to maintain a good CTR. He is likely to cross the limit of 30-40% of daily CTR and 10-20% of overall CTR. He ends up in the same purgatory as the BOZO. The account is banned, and he gets the abominated email. Yes, the "AdSense account closure". Almost-There is never good enough in this nether world of AdSense gaming. Although it is possible that he would have made a few thousand dollars before the punishment catches up to his crime. Crime doesn't quite pay, now does it? Well, gentle reader, unfortunately crime _is_ paying to the next category. Fraudster Maestro ( aka Satan's Spawn).

Fraudster Maestro ( aka Satan's Spawn):

This category of fraudsters is the most sophisticated and rarely gets caught by google . She has researched the high paying keywords as well as the CTR issues well. She has the smoothest lines in the business of soliciting clicks. She can flirt online, and ask to click the "link" for her picture. Or she may claim that clicking the link causes the hungry child to be fed in Ethiopia . Let's follow a typical "simple" chat session:

AT Fraud: hi

US User : hello

AT Fraud: what are your coordinates, handsome?

US User : NY , NY

AT Fraud: Oh! Wish I could be there. Can you help out a damsel in distress?

US User : sure

AT Fraud: I have made a site and want to see if all the links on this page are working or not. Can you please click on the links and see if the other page loads?

US User: Sure. Link?

AT Fraud: www.fraudstersite.com/high-value-keyword-page.html

US User : wait! Yes I checked all the links and they are working fine.

AT Fraud: Thanks

US User : so can we talk about you now? ( Message Not Delivered as the fraudster has blocked the User and is busy looking for a new victim)

And she has lots of tricks up her repertoire besides chatting up strangers. She knows about opt in lists, usenet and blogs where she can snare the victims. Technically savvy and able to empathize with her victims she doesn't let arrogance get in her way to success. Since she is very mindful of the CTR issues she has a secret weapon. She has optimized her site for some low paying keywords which are really not competitive. She organically gets lots of traffic (but for things unrelated to those competitive high paying keywords). In her website, she may be giving away free greeting cards Or free screensavers. End result is a fabulous impression count. The second step for her is to makes unrelated pages on the same site and these pages pertain to the high paying keywords. These keywords are used to attract the victims of chat sessions. The process of getting the clicks is different but the results due to CTR are very lucrative.

So, how does all this geek talk affect the PPC advertiser? It's a $5 billion+ dollar market(for exact projections onto the future, please check out our FAQ, and with a 20% + fraud rate, we are talking about a 1 BILLION dollars fraud per year. Even Dr. Evil may be impressed by such a number. It's greater than the cumulative GNP of a few banana republics. And a fair chunk is ending up in the coffers of these fraudsters. We know from anecdotal evidence, how people are clearing up to 20 grand a month. All, courtesy of the hapless PPC advertiser.

We want to emphasize that there are lots of authentic sites serving genuine content. But unfortunately the existence of these people (as discussed above) reduces the ROI of many advertisers to the extent that they rethink their interest in PPC. In the word of one of our organic SEO customers, with PPC "you always get a little less back than you put in". It needn't be that way, if you watch carefully where your ad words traffic is coming from and take some steps (such as traffic analysis or at the very least a log file analysis) to protect arm yourself with data for a refund claim for google. Another thing to keep in mind is to stay nimble. Convincing search engines to refund money is a lot tougher and a lot more work than proactively watching for problem visitors and warning them of the repeated clicks and how they are being monitored. Our experience shows that all but the hardened criminals are deterred(reducing the adwords wasted burden). Remember, an ounce of prevention?

Aamir Farrukh Works with an Experienced Web Analytics Company http://www.sofizar.com Sofizar that is working on a Artificial Intelligence enabled Click Fraud Detection Service

Aledo prom limo .. Lockport Chicago limo O’Hare
In The News:

Not all apps out there offer legit virtual private networks, according to Kurt the CyberGuy. He explains how to keep your information safe.
Apple's Image Playground transforms text prompts into images or animations in seconds, brining a world of creativity to the palm of your hand.
NASA's Ingenuity helicopter, which flew on Mars in April 2021, became the first aircraft to achieve powered, controlled flight on a planet other than Earth.
Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
Thieves who have iPhones can usually detect a hidden AirTag in vehicles they are attempting to steal, and an RFID wallet may not help you.
Genmoji, the latest addition to Apple's Apple Intelligence suite, uses artificial intelligence to generate customized emoji based on text descriptions.
It's easy to find yourself swamped in unread emails. Here are a few simple steps to archiving them and clearing out some of your digital clutter.
Keep your retirement plan safe from data brokers selling your personal information. Kurt the CyberGuy explains how to protect yourself and your retirement.
Turo faces scrutiny after tragic incidents involving rented vehicles, raising questions about security measures and regulatory frameworks.
A Chinese company has developed a spherical, 276-pound law enforcement robot that has been chasing down criminals at impressive speeds.
Here are some powerful online sleuthing tricks you can use to check the credibility of a website, see old pictures of places you've lived and even learn more about your neighbors.
Beware scam calls: Avoid unknown numbers and protect your personal information. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about the increasingly common scam.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson helps you crush your New Year's goals with these 12 apps to help you stay on track and succeed.
There are many untapped safeguards and tips you can learn to take your Wi-Fi knowledge to the next level, technology expert Kim Komando shares her tricks.
VPNs ensure privacy; antivirus stops malware. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says both are essential for online security.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson cites a new report that says many people still use weak passwords like "123456," risking their accounts.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says a tech support scam used a fake Windows Defender pop-up, tricking the victim to call and download software.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson reveals ways to restore accidentally deleted text messages on your Android phone.
A new study says outdoor security camera apps are among the biggest collectors of user data, including phone numbers, payment details and precise location.
In iOS 18.2 and later, Apple's Mail app enhances email management by automatically sorting messages into distinct categories to help find emails faster.
A virtual private network (VPN) allows computer and smartphone users to mask an IP and create a secure, encrypted connection between a device and the internet.
Android 15's latest feature, Private Space, is like a private vault helping to keep your personal or sensitive apps away from prying eyes.
Cybercriminals have more ways than ever to target teenagers; here are some of the most widespread scams and tricks to watch in order to keep your loved ones safe.
Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
A humanoid robot named CUE6 has got game. The basketball-playing robot, produced by Toyota, claimed a Guinness World Record for longest shot.

How to Tap into the Google AdWords PPC Goldmine?

Dear friends,Google, the most populated search engine on the Internet,... Read More

Relevant Ads Increase Adsense Profits

If you've started using Adsense as a way to increase... Read More

What The Adsense Top Earners Are Doing To Constantly Increase Their Earnings

It is really frustrating, is it not, to log into... Read More

Independent Search Engine & Directory Network (ISEDN) - Breaking News!

Watch out for a shift in the pay-per-click (PPC) industry,... Read More

Pay Per Performance Advertising : What is it?

Pay Per Performance Advertising is when the advertiser pays a... Read More

Targeting Usage Demographics to Increase Paid Search Conversions

During conversations with web business professionals about pay-per-click search engines,... Read More

Considerations For A Pay-Per-Click Ad Campaign

Submitting your website to the Search Engines today may seem... Read More

You Wont Make Dollars If You Dont use AdSense

As the dust settles and the excitement caused by Google's... Read More

Who Else Wants To Maximize Their Google Adwords Success?

Who Else Wants To Maximize Their Google Adwords... Read More

What is Pay-Per-Click?

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is when an advertiser pays for each... Read More

Google Adsense - A Website Income

Many of us have websites and as a matter of... Read More

7 Great Ways to Lose Your Shirt Using Google Adwords!

Google Adwords is a great tool! Careful use can lead... Read More

PPC Advertising Explained

Advertising on the Internet has always been a bit of... Read More

Wheres the Best Place to Put Google Adsense Ads?

Why, on your web pages of course. Ok, just kidding.... Read More

How to Boost Your Adsense Revenue?

By using this tutorial you will learn how to increase... Read More

When AdSense Goes AWOL

No matter how hard you work to optimize your page,... Read More

10 Steps For Fighting Click Fraud

Pay-Per click fraud dates back even from the time when... Read More

Wimpy Google and Michael Jackson: Birds Of A Feather

Google Inc. is suing a Houston-based company for allegedly clicking... Read More

Can I Make Money Online with the Adsense Program?

Sure you can. If you will learn how many other... Read More

How To Get Banned From Google Adsense In Just 2 Clicks

The darkest nightmare a hardworking affiliate webmaster fears is receiving... Read More

Finding The Cheap Clicks

As anyone who uses Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising in... Read More

Adsense Marketing: Brand Performance

Google developed a prime product, Adsense. Marketing your website through... Read More

$1 Million in Google AdSense Earnings

They are calling him the million dollar man. Jason Calacanis... Read More

Choosing the Right Strategy for Your Online Business: Pay for Inclusion vs Pay per Click

Back in the old days of the Internet - in... Read More

Easy Clickbank Management with the Right Tools

Clickbank has been around for years and has earned an... Read More

Bishop Hill Chicago limo service ..