Click Fraud Rates Near 14%: Study
Click fraud levels reached 13.7%, according to a study from the Click Fraud Network, a pay-per-click fraud detection service.
Companies running search campaigns through top-tier search service providers such as Google and Yahoo! experienced fraud levels of only 12.1%, according to the study. But fraud rates among second-tier search engines reached 21.3%, and they hit 29.8% among the third tier of search providers.
The study found that more than 90% of all click fraud originates from the United States and Canada, with most of the rest coming from China and France.
Among the five largest search advertising industries – retail, financial services, health and fitness, technology and entertainment – the top search terms cost $4.75 per click during first-quarter 2006.
Separately, a survey conducted by the Search Engine Marketing Professional Association revealed that as keyword prices escalate, 71% of all marketers will try to improve their sites’ efficiency in converting visitors to sales, and 62% will try to improve their bid management before cutting back on their keyword spending.
