Yahoo, Spyware, and Click-Fraud - OH MY!
WOW!
I just read a fantastic report entitled "The Spyware - Clickfraud Connection - And Yahoo's Role Revised." Very eye opening stuff.
The report details how spyware companies use Yahoo!'s Publisher Network to generate revenue through click-fraud - even if the user never clicked an ad!
It seems that spyware companies are using a method that Ben Edelman calls "syndication-based click fraud." Here is his description:
Spyware syndication falls within the general problem of syndication-based click fraud. Suppose X, the Yahoo partner site, hires a spyware vendor to send users to its site and to make it appear as if those users clicked X's Yahoo ads. Then advertisers will pay Yahoo, and Yahoo will pay X, even though users never actually clicked the ads.Ben uses full packet logs, annotated screenshots and even videos to prove his point.
This article is a must read for anyone who is currently using content match in their Yahoo! Search Marketing PPC account.
Let me tell you, if you thought you hated spyware companies before, you are going to hate them even more after reading this.
The big question is if Yahoo! will take action in this matter in light of Ben's convincing evidence. It seems that the reputation of their PPC content match's relevance and validity relies upon it. More to come...(hopefully)
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Comments
I have used Yahoo and Google to market my sites and I tend to believe that Yahoo sends my fraudulent clicks. I can't prove it but when people click on my Google ads, most of the time I see activity in my site. However, when my Yahoo ads are clicked, I don't see any activity. Needless to stay I no longer use Yahoo and I'm sticking with Google.
Also, stay away from Miva.com. They are they biggest pay-per-click scam. I opened an account with them and deposited $25. Within a few hours it was gone. When I checked my logs, I got traffic from sites with just ads. There was no activity on my site. Some of the sites listed in my log were from sites that pay people to click ads. I threatened Miva.com to report them to the Better Business Bureau and they refunded my $25.
Google to me is the best deal in town. Go Google!
Posted by: Patrick | April 8, 2006 11:13 PM
Hey Patrick.
Thanks for your feedback.
A question for you – were you using content match on Yahoo when you had the problems? If so, I can see why you ran into some problems. I was speaking with a Yahoo rep on Friday and he said they are really cracking down on the Yahoo Publisher’s Network right now because they are having a lot of problems with bad traffic.
We use Yahoo! without the content watch and we find that the clicks seem to be pretty legit. Maybe that would be a way you can go.
Regarding Miva, I would have to agree with you on their traffic quality. We used them back when they were FindWhat and had a similar experience.
It always amazes me how companies like FindWhat sign up clients, take a bit of money from them, and then change their name and try to lure back the same old clients.
And funnily enough they always say they have changed – their sales people actually remind me of Saddam Hussein singing “I Can Change†in the South Park movie. Has anyone else seen that…hilarious.
Posted by: James Omdahl | April 10, 2006 10:03 AM
I live at 81635 Commonwealth in Seattle. Been up here before?
Posted by: Mike Flacklestein | June 17, 2006 09:30 AM
Um no, but thanks for the random comment!
Posted by: James Omdahl | June 19, 2006 05:02 PM