Mobile ad fraud is a significant issue that marketers might not even be aware of. It occurs when someone uses an app to click on ads or uses bots to click on ads. They make these clicks for the sole purpose of making a profit from mobile advertisers who spend billions on mobile advertising. They then sell these fake clicks to third-party companies that profit from ads without paying ad fees. You can use some tactics such as:
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Table of Contents
Update domains and domain searching.
If you are using an ad platform that automatically links to your website, such as Facebook, you must always ensure your domain is updated. With the number of fraudsters using fake domains, it is tough for advertisers to track and monitor their campaigns. Essentially if a third-party company is buying a click from someone, they might be led to your website unintentionally, which means you have no control over where the third-party company leads them. To avoid this, you must ensure your domain is continuously updated.
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No click bots.
You can’t stop people from using third-party apps, but you can make them more expensive. Many fraudsters use bots to follow ad campaigns. This means the company is essentially paying for a fake ad click, meaning they make money without paying back to advertisers. You can avoid mobile ad fraud by not allowing too many users through your ad campaign at once, which is usually done by using an auction model.
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Know your audience.
Sometimes, fraud happens because advertisers do not know their audience enough to see if it’s real or not. Knowing who are your most influential users can be very useful to fraud. For example, it is best for a race car company to focus on high-end clients willing to pay more for higher traffic. For an app company, you can use the users who have downloaded the app and abandon them. By knowing your user base, you can use this data to prevent fraud.
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Real user reviews.
Mobile ad platforms are often used by people who don’t know how to use them, so they end up enabling the issue. To avoid this, you should make sure your mobile ads look realistic and like what the user expects them to be. User feedback will make a massive difference in the longevity of your campaign.
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Monitor your publishers as well as your publisher brands.
A lot of fraud happens because advertisers forget to monitor their publishers. When you are advertising with a publisher, make sure that the traffic you are receiving is legitimate. This includes the user base, bot base, and even the actual campaign. By monitoring your publishers, you have more chance of catching them before they disappear into thin air with your ad money.
Conclusion
The issue is significant, but with the right tactics, it can be avoided. It takes effort to continually monitor your campaigns for any signs of the problem, but maintaining an excellent mobile advertising campaign is well worth the effort. There is always the risk of your campaign being hurt by a small amount of fraud, but running longer and more detailed ad campaigns can be easily compensated for. Ensure that you are constantly monitoring your campaigns and have the right data to know when fraud is occurring.
