Click Here to Download (PDF)
Summary
Sean Hecking Consulting Group addresses the pervasive issue of click fraud in Google, Bing & Meta PPC paid media and search ads. According to recent data, click fraud affects a significant portion of digital advertising, with 36% of display ads and 11% of search ads being fraudulent as of 2023. Between 22% to 28% of digital clicks are from bots or are otherwise invalid.
The consultancy identifies several challenges contributing to the problem, including the rise of media automation and programmatic buying, which have limited historical precedent for effective fraud prevention. Factors such as restricted ad budgets, rising CPCs, and the increasing digital ad spend exacerbate the impact on Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) and Return on Investment (ROI) over time.
Types of click fraud sources range from accidental clicks and competitor-driven inflation to malicious activities like bots and malware.
To combat click fraud, Sean Hecking Consulting Group recommends several strategies. These include conducting comprehensive account audits, optimizing settings for display networks, monitoring automations closely to prevent excessive exposure, and implementing robust bot security measures. They recommend advertisers diversify their advertising sources and types, scrutinize recommendations from platforms like Google and Meta, and focus on precise targeting strategies to minimize exposure to fraudulent activities.
Proactive monitoring, strategic adjustments to campaign settings, and vigilance against fraudulent activities are essential for advertisers looking to mitigate the impact of click fraud in their PPC paid media, social ads, and search campaigns.
Current State
Click Fraud in Paid Media & Search:
➜ 36% of display ads (Global PPC 2023)
➜ 11% of search ads (Global PPC 2023)
➜ 22% (Juniper 2023)
➜ 27% (Imperva 2022)
➜ 28% of digital clicks are bots (Adobe)
➜ 14-22% search clicks are fake/bots (Statcounter)
Challenges
Reasons for concern:
➜ Accelerating growth in media automation
➜ Increase of programmatic (AI) media buying
➜ Little historical track record of new tools
➜ Less data for advertisers (Google, Meta, etc)
➜ More $$ going to digital means more bots
➜ Greater impact to ROAS/ROI over time
➜ Restricted ad budgets (economy, etc)
➜ Rising & inflated CPCs
Types
Types of bad click sources include:
➜ Invalid / accidental clicks
➜ Competitors driving up cost
➜ Disgruntled Customers
➜ Bots
➜ Malware
2023-2028 Est. Spend On Fraud Ads (Juniper)
Potential Solutions
Ways to combat click fraud in paid media & search:
➜ Get a comprehensive account audit
➜ Check settings for Display Networks
➜ Check automations to avoid heavy Display
➜ Check location targeting
➜ Review Demographic targeting
➜ Review all networks & settings you’re opted-in by
default
➜ Add bot security & monitoring measures (Cloudflare, Robots.txt, etc)
➜ Monitor log files for suspicious form submissions by IP address
➜ Check abnormal click activity in detail reports (high CTR >10%)
➜ Don’t always take Google/Meta Reps
recommendations at face value (some settings can
open your account to fraud)
➜ Diversify your ad sources, types, and channels
➜ Key in on your match strategy in Google Ads (esp. broad match)
➜ Be mindful of Display & other Network exposure
➜ Avoid 3rd party networks if possible (these networks
tend to have way more fraud than Google/Meta
networks)
➜ Block all but necessary bots from your landing pages