'click fraud' Category

• Is AdWords Search History Permutation Fraudulent?

  My first article on Search History usage was experiential; you can do the searches yourself and see the strange results. This article offers a different type of explanation with a lot more detailed argument. It raises the question for me - is Google’s use of AdWords Search History to generate adverts for unrequested keywords, fraudulent? […]

  March 17th, 2008

• AdWords Search History Permutation - Short Form

  Are you suffering from a lower CTR recently? Have your conversion rates declined? Have your impression rates declined, or suddenly boomed? I think I know why. Here’s a simple description of the problem that Google has caused. I’ve a longer article, with more of the background.
  At some point (I don’t have an exact date and […]

  March 17th, 2008

• Automating Content Network Management - Part 1

  About three years ago (2005), we started efforts to automatically improve performance of the AdWords Content Network, for advertisers. We were hoping to develop a product, but we were also doing some research to see how things worked and what lessons we could learn. This is intended to be part 1 of a multipart article, […]

  February 12th, 2008

• AdWords Search Query Reports

  Quite a few people have written about using the fairly new Search Query Reports, and the sometimes surprising ways in which Google can extend Broad Match. Here’s another insight into AdWords. Look at the first two clips of screenshots, and notice that the impression volume reported is radically differently on keyword search.
  This first screen […]

  January 14th, 2008

• Google Bowling And Identity

  Reducing the search engine ranking of competitors, known as “Google Bowling”, is getting some air time. A brief summary article “8 Ways a Competitor Can Sabotage Your Site” describes some techniques that can damage rank and steal or reduce traffic to a site. Of the eight techniques described, seven depend on weak identity online, and […]

  September 17th, 2007

• Google, Trust, Content Match, Placement Reports

  A respected peer, Richard Ball, often writes about distribution fraud, and the waste of advertising funds on Google’s domain parking. I have some evidence to back up his claim that advertising on domain parks simply wastes advertiser funds.

  This is a portion of a screenshot from an account with a content match targeted campaign. It […]

  August 17th, 2007

• Click Fraud, Google AdWords and gclid

  A tardy response to Matt Cutts posting and Shuman Ghosemajumder’s joining in the debate… I don’t see some important stuff in Google’s approach to this issue. Maybe I’m selectively vision impaired. Or maybe I read too many other reports about naughtiness on the net.
  New (2008-03)! Google Blog article on click fraud forensics.
  And newer! Richard […]

  July 16th, 2007

• Rev B: SEO, Game Theory and Intrinsically Corruptible Systems

  This is the other article on the End Of Life As We Know It. See also “Rev A“, published previously.
  A recent posting by Matt Cutts to invite reporting of paid links to Google set me thinking. One thought train lead to a fairly predictable (for me) posting. The other has lead into some stranger […]

  April 24th, 2007

• Google, Disintermediation and Agencies

  Google probably wants to disintermediate advertising agencies. That is, it probably should offer services directly to the advertiser, allowing the advertiser and the channel to interact directly. Disintermediation was the big buzz of the dot.boom-and-bust era of the late 90’s.
  For years, my secret guide to Google has been Evans and Wurster’s Blown To Bits. […]

  April 13th, 2007

• Click Fraud Buzz Will Grind On

  What is click fraud? Is it right that the search engines really define the industry meaning of click fraud? What if the search engines are complicit in reducing advertising ROI? What oversight exists? Could an advertiser or agency tell, or do anything about it?

  January 26th, 2007