John at PPC Hero tells how he was frustrated and upset with Google for a recent click fraud incident related to his Content Network campaigns.
I’ve just got to say that you are taking a huge risk when you sign up for the Content Network. I wouldn’t tell anyone to not run Google Adwords pay per click Content Network campaigns at all, but you should exercise caution when you do. Keep in mind that when you join the Content Network you are likely to see your ads placed on competitive websites. This is especially true if you don’t know all of the competitive websites where your ads might appear.
It’s a good idea to make a list of the competitive sites that you know about before you set your Content Network ads on go. List those sites as negative sites so that your ads don’t appear on those sites.
Why would you exclude your ads from running on your competition’s website? Because you are more likely to be a victim of pay per click advertising fraud on those sites. That’s not to say that you won’t be a victim on other sites, but competition does strange things to some people. They can’t handle it. Play it safe and run your ads on complimentary sites, but not competitive sites. While there is no guarantee of escaping click fraud, you’ll be less likely to be a victim of it if you take the proper precautions.
Thanks for the mention. You’re right – if you’re going to use the Content Network (and I still highly recommend that you do), you have to be smart. Utilize negative sites, run placement performance reports, etc., etc.
Bad things can happen, but if you’re proactive – they’re much less likely to!
- John, PPCHero.com