What is Click Fraud?

Google AdSense Accounts Closed if Fraudulent Ad Clicks are Suspected

As print media experiences a drop in readership and advertising, web-based pay per click (PPC) advertising opportunities through Google's AdWords and AdSense programs are steadily on the rise. But these internet advertising programs are not without flaws; ad click fraud is a serious problem that's prompted Google to take a zero-tolerance stance as the web giant tries to maintain the integrity of its AdSense and AdWords internet advertising programs.

What is Click Fraud?

Click fraud is the act of clicking advertisements on the internet with the intention of earning money or draining a competitor's advertising account. Fraudulent ad clicks are extremely problematic, as it undermines the integrity of the Google AdWords program and other similar internet-based PPC advertising programs that involve clicking on an ad containing a link that, in turn, directs the clicker to the advertiser's web page.

Websites and Bloggers Committing Click Fraud

A large portion of fraudulent clicks come as a dishonest attempt to earn money via Google's AdSense program. The AdSense program enables websites and blogs to display contextual advertisements and with each ad that's clicked, the website or blogger earns a portion of the money that the advertiser agreed to pay per click.

What many fraudulent clickers don't realize is that Google tracks each and every click with IP address logging, among other methods. Red flags arise when abnormal ad clicking patterns emerge over a period of weeks or months, be it a suspicious pattern of ad clicks from a particular IP address or an unusually high number of clicks on the advertisements displayed on a web page.

When click fraud is suspected, the staff at Google investigate the invalid clicks. When a situation involving fraudulent clicks is confirmed, Google typically hands out a lifetime ban from the AdSense program.

Advertisers and Fraudulent Clicks

Another form of click fraud involves advertisers who use ad clicks as part of malicious and unethical business practices.

Advertisers have been known to engage in click fraud by clicking a competitor's web ads in an effort to expend the competitor's pre-set daily spending limit for advertisements. With the Google AdWords program, advertisers pay each time an ad is clicked. An advertiser's ads will "shut off" for the day once the pre-set daily spending limit is reached, so by committing click fraud, dishonest advertisers attempt to eliminate the competitor's internet ads.

Other Forms of Click Fraud on the Web

Another form of click fraud involves a "click exchange." A click exchange involves two or more individuals who, in an attempt to "outsmart" Google, agree to click ads on each others' website or blog.

Dishonest individuals who take part in click exchanges mistakenly believe that they cannot be held responsible for clicks that originate from another person's IP address. In reality, Google is wise to the click exchange, so any suspicious pattern of ad clicks — even those that originate from another person's IP address — that's consistent with click fraud serves as sufficient grounds for a lifetime ban from Google's AdSense program.

Promoting invalid clicks by instructing blog or website visitors to click on ads is another form of click fraud. Promotion of fraudulent ad clicks is considered a serious offense that's grounds for termination of a website's or blog's affiliation with AdSense.

Can You Appeal an AdSense Account Closure Due to Click Fraud?

For many years, there was no appeal process for individuals whose AdSense accounts were closed due to alleged click fraud involvement. But ultimately, Google decided to implement a click fraud appeals process, though it's believed that a very small percentage of accounts are ever reinstated following cancellation due to suspected click fraud.