‘Click bandits’ that seek to turn pay-per-click ad campaigns into expensive failures target locksmiths more than any other business, according to a click fraud prevention service.
Click Guardian says locksmiths are by far the most likely to maliciously click on their rivals’ adverts according to an analysis of the businesses most impacted by click fraud. Click fraud is defined by the firm as an effective way to cause competing business financial losses and ensure real customers never see adverts. Click fraudsters prepared to use underhand tactics favour this method because there’s no smoking gun. The firm’s research suggests that around £2,000 of adverts posted by locksmiths are disappearing each month before prospective customers even have a chance to see them.
Cleaning companies, security and phone repair businesses are also among the most susceptible to click fraud with up to a quarter (25pc) of their typically modest marketing budgets being spent on adverts that are never seen by potential customers. Average monthly spend on advertising among these occasional-use trade companies is £1,750, which implies that around £438 is going to waste every month.
Outside trade sectors, the practice of click fraud is also rife, it’s claimed. In the financial services sector, one in six (16pc) online ads offering investment opportunities comes under attack. With these companies spending more per ad and with higher budgets, even financial service businesses could be losing as much as £29,000 a year thanks to click fraud, according to the company.
Roy Dovaston, managing director of Click Guardian, says: “It’s a jungle out there and with cut-throat competition comes some pretty sharp tactics. Click fraud is the weapon of choice for underhand firms because it’s free, it’s quick, it’s effective and click bandits can do it at arm’s length.
“It’s incredible how much advertising spend click fraudsters can eat through, and the more mainstream the search terms, the quicker a marketing budget can be sent down the drain. It’s possible to kill off ad campaigns before they’ve even really begun.
“The real concern is how much this is costing businesses, and especially those that can ill-afford to see a marketing budget squandered in the first place. It’s crucial businesses use real-time prevention systems that can track and block imposters so real customers get to see your paid ads.”
