This is actually a description, albeit a rather dramatic one, of one of the most prevalent forms of fraud targeting online business owners. (Here at TrafficForMe.com we have a flair for the dramatic. We have quite a wide variety of skills). Referred to as lead-injection, lead-stuffing, or bot traffic, this practice revolves around the deceptive actions of non-human bots which falsely boost traffic stats. While the fraudulent traffic created by these bots may help to boost your ego, ultimately it will do very little to help your business grow and thrive. Bots make horrible customers.
Bot-Based Deception
One of the most common ways in which bots attack is by placing fraudulent ads on a publisher’s website. These ads appear as if they belong to the publisher’s domain – possibly manifesting as a popup or overlay. Some stealthy bots may even silently run ads in the background while still generating phony ad impressions.
The damage that these bots inflict is twofold, affecting both the site publisher and the advertiser. Publishers falsely believe that they are generating an impressive amount of site traffic. Additionally, these publishers do not receive any income from these ads, as that income is instead routed back to those who are responsible for the bot.
Advertisers falsely believe that their campaigns are more successful than they actually are, a belief which may prompt advertisers to increase spending in an attempt to optimize these ads to continue generating customer interest. Unfortunately, in doing so, they simply further feed those hungry bots.
Premium Publishers Aren’t Immune
It isn’t a stretch to assume that low quality sites are frequently plagued by bot traffic. However, you may be a bit more surprised to discover that top-tier premium publishers are also affected. According to a comprehensive study conducted by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), “traffic from premium publishers consists of almost 20% bots.” Even subscription-based sites that promise ad-free environments are not immune to these risks. The ANA estimates that fraudulent advertising results in a whoppping $6 billion annual loss.
Minimize Your Risk
One of the best ways to reduce your risk of falling victim to bot-based fraud is by dealing only with reputable publishers and traffic brokers. Even though top level providers aren’t able to provide a 100% guarantee against bot-based fraud, they are far safer than lower level providers who often make promises to generate levels of traffic that appear to be, and actually are, too good to be true.
At TrafficForMe.com, we work only with reputable publishers. We offer exclusive fraud protection to guard against bots, lead-injection, spam traps, and other forms of click fraud. Stop wasting your hard-earned dollars on feeding the bots and instead use those funds to further grow your business.
Sources
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/6b/43/a1/6b43a16558c6e3975ebfd9ffac9f22c3.jpg
http://www.inmarketingwetrust.com.au/paying-ad-fraud-bots/
http://www.thewrap.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Bad-Robot.jpg
http://technorati.com/report-injection-content-duplication-leads-to-lost-ad-revenue-for-top-pubs/
http://technorati.com/ana-study-shows-widespread-bot-fraud-premium-pubs-not-safe/
http://adexchanger.com/online-advertising/the-book-of-fraud/
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