preventing click fraud can be difficult, but there are steps you can take to keep your ads safe from fraudulent activity. These include using the best PPC strategies, and implementing an effective campaign monitoring tool.

The most common type of ad fraud is click fraud, in which bots are programmed to click on ads and make purchases or sign up for services. These fraudulent clicks systematically deplete an advertiser’s budget and make their ads less effective.

Click bots are usually a part of larger ad fraud schemes that involve identity and attribution fraud, but they aren’t the only culprit. Solo click fraudsters may also employ poor attribution technology to disguise bot clicks as human-driven sales, app installs, and web page visits.

Fraudsters will often create a series of fake websites where they display ads that they pay to run. They also employ bots to visit these websites tens of thousands of times per day and occasionally click on the ads.

Click Fraud Prevention: Strategies to Protect Your Online Advertising Campaigns

They do this to earn a commission from the advertising network that displays their ads. This money is transferred to the criminals who run the websites.

In order to prevent this form of ad fraud, advertisers should set daily budget limits and remove their ads as soon as their budget runs out. This will ensure that your ads aren’t displayed to people who are not interested in what you offer.

Ad networks, like Google and Microsoft, have tools that can automatically detect and remove fraudulent clicks. However, these are not foolproof and they can still miss some legitimate clicks. Manual click fraud prevention is recommended for more advanced users who understand how ad campaigns work.