Client LoginIn the article below, we explain why using a click fraud detection service like Polygraph will save your company money, and make it easy to protect your ads from click fraud.
The advertising networks aren’t doing enough to protect your ads from click fraud
Click fraud wouldn't exist if the advertising networks did a better job at detecting it. The number of people doing click fraud is growing every day, and we've witnessed the same scammers doing obvious click fraud for years. One of the major advertising networks appears to be doing no click fraud detection at all, and considers bots and other forms of click fraud to be valid clicks.
It's difficult to understand how this is happening. Polygraph is a small cybersecurity company, yet we're much better at detecting click fraud than the advertising networks. A cynical person might say this is because the advertising networks get paid for every click, real or fake, so they have an incentive to do a bad job at detecting click fraud, however it's hard to believe they'd be that foolish. Another possibility is a lack of motivation, as it’s not the advertising networks’ money being stolen, so they’re not going the extra mile to detect complex bots and click fraud trickery.
Whatever the reason, it’s a fact that there’s a massive amount of click fraud happening, and the advertising networks are missing a lot of it. You’re not being fully protected, which is why you need to use a click fraud detection service like Polygraph. We're really motivated to catch the bad guys.
You’ll be able to block fraudulent websites from displaying your ads
Most click fraud occurs on websites owned by nefarious publishers. They use bots, and other forms of click fraud trickery, to generate fake clicks on your ads. To avoid being detected, the bots try to simulate real internet users. For example, the bot will route its traffic through a residential IP address service, causing its IP address to be replaced with a unique IP address every time it clicks on an ad.
Additionally, the bot may attempt to create conversion actions at the advertisers’ websites, such as filling out leads forms, as this tricks the advertising networks into believing the bot’s clicks are genuine.
Polygraph is able to see which websites are generating fraudulent clicks on your ads, so we’re able to tell you which websites you need to block at your advertising network. This prevents those websites from displaying or clicking on your ads in the future.
Your ads will stay under the radar of click fraud bots
Click fraud isn't random, and typically targets specific ad keywords. This is because the fraudsters target expensive ad keywords, as it maximises how much they earn for every fake click.
For example, a bot will go to a scammer's website, use the website’s search function to search for a high value ad keyword such as “lawyer in NYC”, and click on whatever ad is displayed. This targeted search ensures an expensive ad is displayed, resulting in high earnings for the scammer.
Polygraph is able to see which ad keywords are being targeted by click fraud bots, so we can tell you which of your ad keywords you need to remove from your campaigns. This simple trick prevents click fraud bots from being able to see your ads.
No more guessing if a click is real or fake
Modern click fraud is sophisticated, and it's not something you'll notice unless you know what to look for. For example, puppeteer-extra-plugin-stealth is a common bot used by click fraudsters. This bot, if programmed correctly, closely imitates a human, and can only be detected by tricking it to reveal itself. This requires a lot of code and technical expertise.
By using a click fraud detection service like Polygraph, you no longer have to guess if a click is real or fake, as we’re experts at detecting click fraud.
No need to write costly click fraud detection code
It's possible to build your own click fraud detection system. Unfortunately, it’ll probably take you a few years, and require significant technical expertise, such as server administration, programming, and cybersecurity skills.
A faster, cheaper, and easier solution is to use Polygraph. Prices start at $50 per month for 10,000 ad clicks, and we make it easy to prevent click fraud.
Get the evidence you need for click fraud refunds
Polygraph gives you details of every fake click, such as why it's fraudulent, when it happened, where it came from, and who did it. You can send this data to your advertising networks, and demand a refund for the many fake clicks on your ads.
The refund request won't always be successful, as some advertising networks think bot clicks are valid, but at least you're letting the advertising networks know you know you're being scammed, and you expect them to do something about it.
Quantify your click fraud loss
If you don't have an accurate tally of the number of fake clicks on your ads, you can’t know how much money you're losing to click fraud every month. By using Polygraph to quantify your loss, you can price the fraud into your product, ensuring you remain profitable.
Of course, if you're using Polygraph, you'll be able to drastically reduce your exposure to click fraud, but it’s always good to quantify how much is being stolen from you.
Using a click fraud detection service is a good business decision
Let's imagine you run a clothing store, and you discover you’re losing $10,000 every month due to theft. You hire a security guard, resulting in the number of stolen goods being reduced by 80%. That means as long as your security guard's salary is less than $8,000 per month, you're saving money by having him on your payroll.
The same logic applies to click fraud detection. With prices starting at just $50, Polygraph can save your business hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of dollars every month.
Conclusion
If you advertise online, it makes sense to use a click fraud detection service. Polygraph are experts at detecting and preventing click fraud, and we do everything possible to protect your advertising budget from scammers.