Oct 20, 2023
How to Detect Invalid Traffic
Detecting invalid traffic affic, which includes click fraud, bots and other malicious software, cost the digital advertising industry billions of dollars in 2015. That’s a huge sum that advertisers could have used to grow their businesses. Thankfully, there are ways to detect invalid traffic, and prevent it from damaging your website or ad revenue.
The most common type of invalid traffic is Google Invalid Traffic (GIVT). GIVT is generated by automated tools that mimic human behavior to artificially inflate ad clicks and thereby generate revenue. Publishers can easily detect GIVT through their Google Analytics accounts, and should check for unusual traffic spikes over specific time periods.
However, more sophisticated fraudulent clicks and impressions are called Sophisticated Invalid Traffic (SIVT). While GIVT is relatively easy to detect, SIVT can be more difficult to identify because fraudsters use malware and other tactics that make them harder to track and identify. As a result, it can be more difficult to monetize sites that have SIVT.
Unveiling the Shadows: How to Detect and Defend Against Invalid Traffic in Digital Advertising
SIVT can also cause a significant drop in organic traffic, as most legitimate readers will avoid websites with bad reputations. Additionally, a large amount of invalid traffic can devalue a publishers’ inventory on ad exchanges.
To protect against invalid traffic, you should implement an automated tool to check for ad blockers and bots. This tool can remove these types of traffic from your website and increase your revenue and overall user experience. It’s also important to check that you are not inadvertently generating invalid traffic yourself. If you are, it is best to hire a trusted ad monetization partner who can help you avoid this problem.
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