rumors about fraud click on google network

[LadyLady]

As I am only a starter, I still have heard a lot about fraud clicks on google search and content networks, so I simply opted it out. WOuld you, please, share suggestions on how to aviod fraud clicks and whether it is reasonable to opt out networks and instead receive additional traffic from Yahoo or MSN - and in such way still have high level of exposure, but at more reasonable pricing and safety levels. Thank you.

[europeforvisitors]

Are you suggesting that Yahoo and MSN have higher "safety levels" than Google does? Why would you assume that?

Why not test ads on several networks and see which offers the best ROI?

[LadyLady]

That's what I am doing right now - creating different compaigns. Regarding Yahoo and MSN fraud safety - that's the general opinion I hear, that Google content network is full of fraud clicks. So, just wanted to hear first hand experience. Thank you for your response.

[jimbeetle]

Nobody really knows the amount of click fraud in any of the search or content PPC networks. Any numbers cited are speculation, some educated, some not. A good place to get an idea on how Google handles invalid clicks is the recent The Lane’s Gifts v. Google Report [googleblog.blogspot.com] (pdf) by Alexander Tuzhilin. No numbers, no sense of the extent of the problem, but some good background.

Oh, and welcome to Webmaster World.

[europeforvisitors]

that's the general opinion I hear, that Google content network is full of fraud clicks.

You probably hear that because Google is by far the leading PPC ad network. It's like search: You'll hear more complaints (and more talk, period) about Google than about Yahoo and MSN, simply because Google dominates the search market.

[chief72]

To be honest, since I started using Adwords, opting out of content was the most profitable thing I ever did. I have since tried a few campaigns designed specifically for the content network, without luck, but will probably try again. After all trial and error is the name of the game and I'll take a short-term loss for a long-term gain any day of the week. I have read several posts in these forums of webmasters doing very well with the content network and am heartened by their experience.

My feeling is that market type plays a big role in whether or not a campaign is successful (some markets perhaps attract more fraud). Anyone like to comment? Pricing and tracking are as always obviously important, as is extreme diligence towards selecting/de-selecting sites for your ad to be displayed on.

You can confirm EFV's comments by viewing how active the Adwords forums are compared to the other PPC players. Though I suspect the Adcenter forums will get more active as they increase their market share (or introduce a quality score:)

[europeforvisitors]

Quite a while back, somebody here made the point that not using the content network was like leaving money on the table. His argument was that, even if his ROI from AdSense wasn't as good as from the search network, the additional sales still represented an incremental gain in sales and earnings.

Also, in other threads, several advertisers have mentioned not being able to get enough impressions from the search network. In such cases, there's obviously a greater incentive to try the content network (and to learn how to use it effectively) than there is if there's no compelling need.

[ronmcd]

The truth is some markets will work well on the content network, others not so well. Some are profitable, some are not. You need to test it to find out.

europeforvisitors: Quite a while back, somebody here made the point that not using the content network was like leaving money on the table. His argument was that, even if his ROI from AdSense wasn't as good as from the search network, the additional sales still represented an incremental gain in sales and earnings.

That will be true in some markets, but not in others where content is simply unprofitable. The only way to know is to try and see.

LadyLady: So, just wanted to hear first hand experience. Thank you for your response.

LadyLady, as Europeforvisitors is a publisher on the content network he naturally thinks its worth advertisers using it ;-) As an advertiser myself I would say its not so black and white, you need to test it, you will know very quickly if its worth it. And you certainly can get lots more traffic using content in some markets.

[europeforvisitors]

LadyLady, as Europeforvisitors is a publisher on the content network he naturally thinks its worth advertisers using it ;-

Not necessarily. As I suggested elsewhere in this thread, it's worth testing the various content networks.

[Nuttakorn]

Is that better than if we wish to play in Content Network area, we should Site-target instead and working under CPM not CPC? Any one has a very good experience in Google Site-Target, I have ever run the campaign but it is not good due to I cannot estimate the budget for that, don't know the the CPM and daily budget, how can I find those one.

[europeforvisitors]

Whether a site-targeted ad campaign is worthwhile probably depends on what you're selling. Let's say you're a travel agent who represents Mountie & Maple Leaf River Cruises, a luxury cruise line that operates on the rivers of Canada. If you do a site-targeted ad on a cruising site, you'll have a tremendous amount of waste circulation, because river cruising is a niche market. But if you buy contextual CPC ads, your ads will appear mostly on pages that are about (or at least contextual relationship with) Canadian river cruises.

[danimal]

>>>Is that better than if we wish to play in Content Network area, we should Site-target instead and working under CPM not CPC?<<<

it could be a good way to get your feet wet on the content network... i think that the minimum cpm bid on the content side is $.25 per thou? but it's also dependant on how much the keywords in your sector are worth... it's rare for me to see site-targeted cpm on my adsense sites, because nobody wants to pay the sustained rate it takes to beat out contextual adsense.

so the only banner advertising that i publish is for affiliates, or it's related to rich media... and the latter pays very well.

so what's cpm worth to you? balance it out against the click fraud that comes with contextual ads on the content network... monitor the heck out of everything you do, start out small, use the exclusion filter... there are plenty of honest publishers out there, with quality sites, and we want your business.

[bostonseo]

I say avoid the content network; it's too erratic the performance. One week you might have 3 profitable days and then the next week no profitbale days. The regular Google program is much more consistent.

[deep_alley]

Well as stated before - the content network brings in volumes. What is important though is monitoring how its functioning. I would assume there is more click fraud on content than on search networks - but really cant help it, click fraud is everywhere - if its not publishers clicking ads on content network, then its competitors click ads on the search network.

[europeforvisitors]

"No content network? You can still appear on junk sites."
[webmasterworld.com...]

As rbacal points out in that thread, the content network allows blocking of specific sites, but there's no such provision for the search network.