Invalid Click Throughs

What do you think the percentage is?

[pageoneresults]

While participating in another topic on the effectiveness of AdLinks, I started thinking about what percentage of users click on a Google AdSense ad by mistake?

I mean, I've seen some very creative AdSense implementations. So much so, that they blend seamlessly in with the site. I'll have to give those people credit because I, as an advanced user of the Internet, have clicked on those ads by mistake a few times myself.

Are there any research statistics on this?

[StuntasticAudi]

I have clicked on adsense before without even knowing it was adsense. I think when you look for something really bad and you go to a site the first thing you look for is the words or links with the right keyword you are looking for. Sometimes you dont even think and just start clicking trying to get to the information you need.

[ncreegan]

I've seen a bunch of the same style popping up lately.

Something like...

[navimg] navlink / desc
[navimg] navlink / desc
[navimg] navlink / desc
[navimg] adsense
[navimg] adsense
[navimg] adsense

... where navlink / desc has the same format as AS.

As for a percentage, on these sites, I would imagine as high as a majority of the clicks would actually be accidental.

How many would realize that they just clicked on an ad is (I feel) another important statistic.

As for accidental clicks throughout the whole AS network... less than the tricky sites but certainly not negligible.

What would you look for in your AW traffic stats to find such clicks? Visit time would probably be big, how much of the page is actually loaded...