Why do fake clicks happen in digital ads?

Clicks on the digital ads happen fast. But not all of them come from real users. They can come from competition, users outside the geographic location, and even click farms. While the ad platforms have tools to monitor, the ghost traffic still makes its way into the leads data. This blog will explain why this happens and how you can avoid it.

Why do ad platforms not stop fake clicks?

The ad platforms rely on large volumes of clicks and interactions to show their advertisers they’re getting the exposure they paid for. Their models are designed not to stop any ad clicks or interactions. This is because it is not entirely in their best interest to filter out fake clicks, but they also have some challenges in doing so.

The incentives of interaction are the same

More clicks and interactions generate more revenue for the ad platforms. While they try to block fake clicks like bots or fraudulent users, they don’t want to block too many real ones because that could hurt their revenue. This makes it a tricky balance between making money and preventing fraud.

The click farms are getting smarter

Bots are constantly improving and learning to behave like real people. This includes actions beyond clicking, such as scrolling, filling out forms, staying on the page, and more. These bots keep evolving faster than the platforms can react.

Traffic makes the platforms get information

Platforms use traffic data to improve and fine-tune their ad targeting algorithms. More clicks, even if not all are genuine, are used to understand user behavior and preferences. With stricter privacy rules and fewer cookies to track people online, platforms can’t gather as much info about who's clicking on ads. It is tough to catch fraud without risking blocking real people, too.

The open ecosystem brings fraud

Platforms work with many third-party advertisers, apps, and networks. What we need to know is that not all of them are equally reliable, so even with checks in place, fake traffic can still slip through. The platforms cannot always control the quality of every ad placement or partner involved.

Detecting fraud on a huge scale is tough

There are billions of ads being shown every day. Platforms need to catch fake clicks quickly, but it's challenging. Sometimes, they can only catch the fraud after it happens, meaning you’ve already paid for a fake click before they can block it.

How does this impact brands running the ads?

Click fraud leaves a negative impact on your ads if you are not careful. Here’s what happens to your ads. Here's how they affect your brand:

• Wasted ad spend: If click frauds click on your ads, you will be spending money on all the fake clicks. You’re paying for clicks that don’t lead to sales or new customers, which means your ad budget is being wasted.

• False data: The ad platforms record the data of every interaction of visitors visiting your site, whether real or fake. If they are fake, you get wrong data and information about the target audience, their location, and their interests.

• Wrong targeting: The ads you are running might be shown to bots or irrelevant users, causing your ads to reach people who won’t take action. This means you’re wasting time and money on the wrong audience. In the case of click farms, you see people from a location that does not matter to you interacting with your ad. This leads to nowhere.

• Missed opportunities: When you get leads from the digital ads you run, there is a whole lot of effort taken by the sales and marketing teams. When fake clicks are mixed in, it’s harder to spot real opportunities. The time invested in fake leads can be put to better use if you spend it on real leads.

• Lower credibility: Fake clicks can play with your data and lower the brand's credibility. Customers might start to question the effectiveness of your ads or the authenticity of your offers. This can hurt your brand’s reputation in the long run.

How can you safeguard your ad budget?

Digital ad platforms will not stop fake clicks, but you could. You can read more about spotting and stopping the fake interactions in this blog. You can also follow these simple steps to save your brand’s reputation, the ad spend, and all the effort.

• Keep an eye on the traffic coming in: You can interpret fake clicks by spotting a random spike in the traffic, too many clicks and interactions that come from a location you have not defined, similar IPs at the same time, and more.

• Watch the conversions: Humans and real visitors would interact on your website and take some time filling out your forms, and then submit them. If the form submissions happen in seconds, there could be a possibility of ad fraud happening.

• Invest in an ad protection system: It is hard to watch over your ads and keep a check on the traffic spikes to identify the click fraud interaction. The above steps also help you understand that it is a fraud after your ad is clicked and the money is spent. Invest in an ad protection system that can block such activities before they eat away your ad budget. WEMASY has one such system that can take care of all your ads.

Platforms have their fraud protection, but it’s not their job to customize defenses for every advertiser. To safeguard your ad budget from fake clicks and wasted spend, it is crucial to monitor traffic sources for any click fraud activities.

Investing in an ad protection system like WEMASY’s Ad Protection System can help by automatically detecting and blocking fraudulent clicks in real-time, ensuring that your ad spend is used efficiently. Try our system today.