Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft announce they are joining forces to combat the click-fraud storm (both reality and accusations). The big three search engines will use their shared expertise, touching 86% of the game. The competitors plan to create common guidelines for clickfraud— starting with defining it, then facing the complexities of tracking it.
AP: John Slade, senior director of Yahoo’s defense against click fraud, predicted the alliance’s guidelines “will be a game-changing step in measuring and fighting click fraud.” It may take more than a year before the guidelines are finalized, said Greg Stuart, chief executive of the Interactive Advertising Bureau. The decision to develop the guidelines reflects the Internet industry’s “commitment to being the most accountable advertising medium and providing marketers with the highest level of transparency,” Stuart said.
let us hope for the best that the 3 will banish click fraud and better serve their clients in PPC.
I dont understand why using PPC. Why dont use a fair Pay per Sale System ? The most clicks are useless for the merchants, so they are throwing the money out of the window…
I think that 86% is actually an understatement. Google or Yahoo ads are used at just about every significant search engine out there (besides MSN) so I would place this top 3 figure figure well into the 90’s, I am guessing like 97-98%+. So this is a big move.
I think that this is a very intersting issue where 3 such fierce competitors are going to help each other out. The problem of click fraud has obviously escalated to such a point that these three search companies, who vigorously complete against one and other, and often have very little positive to say about each other are willing to collaborate on eliminating the threat. The search engines are very well aware that sponsored advertising is in great jeopardy. The more publicity click fraud gets, the more difficult it will be for any of these companies to reach out and renew their current subscribers. I did write a small piece about this issue at my blog.