AdWords Addresses Click Fraud Questions

Google's Shuman Ghosemajumder, Business Product Manager for Trust & Safety, provided answers for some common questions about click fraud after Google disclosed it was nearing a settlement in a lawsuit filed against it over the problem.

For one thing, Google isn't going to tell how they detect invalid clicks. Ghosemajumder noted in the Q&A posted at the AdWords blog that a lot of smart people developed the methods and technology used in tracking those down. "Doing so would make it easier for fraudsters to try to defeat our systems," he said. Google also sees a problem with all invalid clicks being called fraudulent. Many clicks happen due to other causes, like someone double-clicking on an ad. While Google can identify a click as invalid, it is "practically impossible to "prove" that an impression or click was caused by deliberate deception," Ghosemajumder said. There is a wide discrepancy between how much activity is believed to be invalid versus how muchreally is not valid. Ghosemajumder dismissed a report used in some places as a source for a click fraud figure of 30 percent.

"When invalid clicks are detected after an advertiser is charged, we reimburse for them. Because of our detection efforts, losses to advertisers from invalid clicks are very small," Ghosemajumder said. He also claimed that while some invalid clicks make it past Google's defenses, they believe that amount is very small. Two issues come to mind when considering these questions and answers. First, Google does not provide numbers to back up their contentions. The lack of transparency frustrates not only its advertisers, but also its investors. Google has plenty of motivation to continually improve their system for defeating invalid clicks, and will continue to do so. The other issue is the marketplace. The lack of transparency has begun to open a market for products that claim to be able to detect fraudulent clicks and clicks resulting from ad campaigns that need to be fixed. I spoke with a marketing executive from a well-known firm offering such a solution, and he flatly refused to answers questions regarding how much click fraud versus problematic clicks may be taking place based on his firm's research. That was unfortunate because it could have shed some more light on the issue. But it could also indicate Google's claims are correct, and click fraud is a small portion of invalid click traffic. Definitely not small enough to avoid a $90 million settlement for its click fraud case, though.

Google Testing Click-to-Call

Google (Quote, Chart) searchers can turn to the phone as well as the Web to connect with advertisers.

Google is testing a new feature for its AdWords keyword ads that appear alongside natural search results: click-to-call.

Greg Yardley, author of the Yardley.ca blog, first reported seeing small green telephone handset icons next to some ads on Google.

A Google spokesman confirmed that the company was testing the service, but declined to give any details.

But Google has published a FAQ. According to it, when searchers click on the phone icon, they get a prompt to enter their phone numbers, then click a "Connect For Free" button. Google calls the number provided, then, when the searcher picks up, connects the searcher with the advertiser.

Google said it pays for the call. Not disclosed was how much it charges the advertiser for these
ads, nor which vendors provides the click-to-call functionality.

Google said the advertiser can't see the searcher's phone number, and it promised to delete the number from its servers after a short period of time. However, the phone number is stored in an encrypted cookie placed on the searcher's computer, so that next time, he or she won't need to re-enter the phone number. The company suggested that users who don’t want their phone numbers stored should refuse the cookie.

Research firm Classified Intelligence said in a research note sent on Tuesday that the methodology described in the patent application for Google Automat includes a way of setting and collecting payment from advertisers using the cost-per-conversion model, in which payment is collected only when an advertiser connects with a customer in a pre-defined way.

Google might collect based on a fixed commission or on a percentage of the selling price, according to the report's author, Jim Townsend.

Townsend said Google Base and the rumored Google Purchase could be combined with Automat to facilitate selling and collecting money for advertising including the Click-to-Call ads.
Interest is rising in the click-to-call model. In August, Microsoft bought Teleo, a provider of VoIP technology that could be integrated with Microsoft's Outlook and Internet Explorer, so that users could place a call from inside e-mail or a Web page.

Also in August, Avaya (Quote, Chart) unveiled the latest release of Avaya Voice Portal with click-to-call and click-to-conference functionality. IBM (Quote, Chart) uses Avaya's Meeting Exchange to let Lotus Sametime, Notes and Domino users place a VoIP call directly from their instant messaging or e-mail

Google Print 2 Google Book Search

Google has renamed its Google Print service to Google Book Search, according to Jen Grant, a Product Marketing Manager in a post on the company's official blog. The Google Print URL (print.google.com) now redirects to books.google.com

The change in this is because many users had misconceptions that Google Print would help them print out documents and web pages, which it of course does not. Another possible reason is the name conflicts with Google's desire to start running ads in printed publications such as magazines and newspapers.