Depending on who you to believe, click fraud is either a minor inconvenience or crime on a global sale. Statisa says that 11% of global ad traffic is invalid, causing $65 billion in damages every year. Other sources say that as many as one-third if all ad spending for digital ads is accountable to bots, which make up 56% of overall website traffic.

Between click fraud and ad spend leakage from multiple vendors in the complex digital supply chain, as much as half or more of all ad spending is lost.

What Is Click Fraud?

Click fraud is a type of online advertising fraud that occurs when someone clicks on an online advertisement with no intention of engaging with the advertised product or service. This fraudulent activity can be performed by a person or a bot, and it can result in wasted advertising dollars for the advertiser.

The goal of click fraud is typically to drive up the cost of the advertiser’s campaign or to drain their budget by generating a large number of false clicks.

Click fraud can damage the reputation of the advertiser and reduce their return on investment (ROI) from their advertising efforts.

Protecting Yourself from Click Fraud

While you may not be able to prevent 100% of click fraud, there are steps you can take to mitigate the damage. Here’s our top 10.

Monitor Your Analytics

One of the most important ways to protect yourself from click fraud is to monitor your website analytics. Keep an eye on your traffic sources, and look for any unusual activity. If you notice a sudden spike in traffic from a particular source or region, investigate further to determine if it’s legitimate or not.

Use Click Fraud Detection Software

There are several software options available that can help detect and prevent click fraud. These tools use machine learning algorithms to identify suspicious activity and prevent fraudulent clicks from being counted.

Be careful, though. Many industry analysts question whether these platforms and safeguards are capable of catching cybercriminals that continually evolve ways to mask their activitiy.

Implement IP Blocking

If you notice that a particular IP address is responsible for multiple instances of click fraud, consider blocking that address from accessing your site. This will prevent further fraudulent activity from that location and protect your advertising budget.

Analyze Traffic Quality

Another way to protect yourself from click fraud is to analyze your traffic quality. If you notice that your bounce rate is high or that visitors aren’t spending much time on your site, it may be an indication of fraudulent clicks. Analyzing traffic quality can help you identify these issues and take steps to address them.

Set Daily Limits on Ad Spend

Setting daily limits on your ad spend can help prevent click fraud from draining your budget. By limiting the amount you spend each day, you can reduce the risk of losing a large amount of money to fraudulent clicks.

Monitor Ad Placement

Make sure your ads are placed on legitimate sites and not on websites that are known for fraudulent activity. Keep an eye on where your ads are being placed and take action if you notice any suspicious activity.

Use Geo-Targeting

Using geo-targeting can help protect your ads from click fraud. By targeting specific regions, you can reduce the risk of fraudulent clicks from locations known for fraudulent activity.

Investigate Unusual Activity

If you notice any unusual activity on your site, investigate it immediately. Look for patterns in traffic, such as a sudden increase in clicks from a particular source or region. Investigating unusual activity can help you identify and address click fraud before it becomes a serious problem.

Use Google’s Click Quality Score

Google’s Click Quality Score is a metric that helps identify fraudulent clicks. By monitoring your Click Quality Score, you can identify any issues with click fraud and take steps to prevent it from happening.

Work with Trusted Partners

Work with trusted partners when it comes to online advertising. Choose reputable ad networks and publishers, and avoid working with unknown or unverified sources. This can help protect your advertising budget and prevent click fraud from damaging your business.

“When you work directly with high-quality, premium publishers, you significantly reduce the risk,” said Paul Dughi, CEO at StrongerContent.com. “It reduces click fraud and mitigates the amount of money loss to multiple layers of AdTech vendors in the supply chain.”