February 20, 2005
Sean's email raises some important issues and omissions on my part.
Although most of our email was supportive of my recent article titled "The New Google Toolbar: Just say NO!" which I suggest you open in a new window, Sean does present an interesting argument and properly points out some omissions in my original entry.
The email:
"Your recent rant on the Google toolbar prompted me to install it. After trying it out, I get the impression that you didn't.
When I went to a page containing an address the "AutoLink" button in the toolbar changed to "Look For Map". The page didn't change at all. I had to click on the autolink button to change the address to a hyperlink to Google maps. Same went for an ISBN. And as I moved my mouse over the hyperlink, the hand changed to a different icon, and a tooltip telling me this was a Google AutoLink was attached.
You can also turn it off if you want, or set it to use Yahoo! maps or MapQuest rather than Google Maps. Granted, I don't see an option to change the book provider from Amazon to something else, maybe we'll see it in another version.
Comparing this toolbar to the likes of Gator is outright irresponsible.
Sean
--
Sean A. Walberg - http://www.ertw.com (Permission granted for use)
Our response:
Sean,
Thank you for the email. You have raised some interesting issues which I should have documented in the original entry. Of course I installed the Toolbar and tested same before I wrote my article.
The original fair use extraction clearly stated: "...and click the AutoLink button" which changes it's name as you note to help focus the users attention on the button. You are certainly correct that a user of this Toolbar may in fact change the default site from Google to other sites such as Yahoo or MapQuest. Actually, Google uses the same flawed argument when they state:
"Google, the world's most widely used search engine, denied that the AutoLink feature is an attempt to control which destinations Web surfers visit. People can already choose between several map services, including Yahoo and MapQuest, and choices for book retailers may be added in the future, a company representative said on Friday." Source
Both your statement and that of Google miss the real issue, which I failed to properly state in my original entry. In Google's case, it's a flawed attempt to justify the functionality of the Toolbar.
The REAL ISSUE that matters
Regardless of the fact that the link (and Tooltip display) points to Google, Yahoo, MapQuest, Amazon, or any other site on planet earth, the fact remains that the content of the Publisher's site has been altered by a surfer who clicks the AutoLink button while using the Toolbar, which Google provides. The content of the Publishers site is altered without their prior approval and the Publisher does not share in any revenue generated by the hijacking of a visitor to another site. The Publishers looses revenue via this hijacking procedure. Please permit me to explain this another way:
Sally and Jim build a Web site. They use the revenue from the site to support their family. It's taken them years of hard work and dedication to generate revenue. They also pay money to advertise the site so new visitors continue to arrive and purchase their product or service. They may also use Affiliate programs to generate revenue. These Publishers are the only ones who have the authority to determine exactly how their site displays in a browser and exactly which links they have chosen to insert which earn them revenue. They are protected from hijacking/alteration and the unfair loss of revenue by the Toolbar hijacking users via the following federal Laws:
The DMCA (The Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998) is designed to protect the content of Web sites and prevent others from unilaterally altering the content of a third parties site. If the site has also obtained a Trademark then this introduces another serious legal issue. A Trademark is designed to protect the owner of the site from folks who see fit to create confusion in the marketplace, steal images/content, and unfairly profit from the Trademark holders hard work by hijacking traffic. These same two issue are central to the numerous law suits which Gator/Claria/Kazaa and other Spyware players have been involved with as defendants. In some cases the courts have sided with the Web Site owners as I documented in this article and in other cases the courts have sided with technology and the Publisher lost the case. Given the fact that the same two legal issues are involved in these cases, I think it's fair to paint Google as a member of the Gator/Claria/Kazaa club, even though the courts have moved in two different directions and the Toolbar is not Spyware/Adware.
Final thoughts
A few years ago, Microsoft tried a somewhat similar thing with its Smart Tags feature and fortunately for Web Publishers, subsequently removed it because of adverse publicity, Publisher outrage, and Copyright/Trademark concerns. I'm the first to admit that the legal principals involved in this issue have not been universally interpreted by the courts and the fact remains that I'm not an attorney. Thus, I have chosen to call Google an enabler: they provide the Toolbar and I respectfully consider the actions of Google to be morally and ethically reprehensible.
If Publishers don't voice their concern and objection to the new Toolbar, the hijacking door is left wide open for Google to continue to add new features which inflict additional damage on hard working and dedicated Publishers. Will Google decide to implement AdWords advertisers inside the functionality of the AutoLink feature of the Toolbar? Will Google find itself in court for these actions just like the Gator/Claria/Kazaa crowd. These are real concerns of many hard working Publishers.
Thanks again for your email and pointing out areas of concern and facts which I failed to properly document.
This article is a response to my original entry titled: "The New Google Toolbar: Just say NO!"
Posted by Steve_S
February 19, 2005
The New Google Toolbar: Just say NO!
In their quest for revenue, the new Google Toolbar permits them to join and embrace a tainted group of "enablers". A collection of individuals/Companies which lack any semblance of ethics and in some cases violate Federal and or state legislation.
The nuts and bolts
A few days ago the Premiere SE in the world and a publicly traded firm who espouses "Do no evil", released Beta 3 of their Toolbar. This Toolbar includes an "AutoLink" feature which effectively paints Google as the premiere "enabler" on planet earth. Google unilaterally enables the alteration of a third parties web site for monetary gain.
A more detailed description
"When Web surfers install the toolbar in their Microsoft Internet Explorer Web browser and click the AutoLink button, Web pages with street addresses suddenly sprout links to Google's map service by default. Book publishers' ISBN numbers trigger links to Amazon.com, potentially luring shoppers away from competing book sellers such as BarnesandNoble.com. Vehicle ID licenses spawn links to Carfax.com, while package tracking numbers connect automatically to shippers' Web sites." Source: CNET News
Stand up and fight back
I suggest that you write Google along with all the major media authors and voice your objection to this deplorable behavior.
Here is an email which I have sent:
Hello xxxxx,
(Reference the article by name and URL)
(Insert a thank you and compliment)
The release of this Toolbar has permanently tarnished Google's image for the following reasons:
1. They are an "enabler". A legal principal which has already been litigated in the following areas: P2P, Gator/Claria/Kazaa, Spamware, and other seedy sectors. Google has joined a tainted group which lacks any semblance of ethics and in some cases violates Federal and or state legislation.
2. Call me "old fashioned" but I still expect the premier SE in the world, a publicly traded firm which preaches "do no evil", whose other statements and actions support and defend IP on the web, not to unilaterally enable the alteration of a third parties web site for monetary gain.
At a minimum, I consider the release of this Toolbar morally and ethically reprehensible.
(Close respectfully and insert your name and Web Site URL)
Continued with additional facts and comments in this article.
Posted by Steve_S
February 02, 2005
AdWords Impression Spam will cost you a bundle
We discovered the increasing use of this procedure by AdWords fraudsters. We expect it to continue to increase and cost AdWords advertisers significant amounts of additional money and time. Since Google is getting better at detecting "click fraud" from your competition and everyone else, the AdWords slime bags have turned to impression spam in alarming numbers, which will ruin your Campaign and business model.
Impression spam defined
An AdWords fraudster will toggle Off his own PPC adverts, then repeatedly query Google to bring up the results page which will display your PPC advert. By making sure that your advert is displayed many times but not clicked, the activity causes your CTR (click-through rate) to fall rapidly and dramatically and this results in Google disabling your Campaign. Since Google ranks the AdWords ads according to a formula comprised of both click-through rate and bid price, the fraudster succeeds in obtaining the same or better positioning for his own advert for a lower bid-price (once they toggle their ad back On), since your click-through rate has been artificially reduced.
How we discovered this issue
Special thanks to Major,(USMC) Richard E. Leino of WebsiteMaven.com who posted about this serious issue and brought it to our attention. Major Leino says:
"I benefit greatly from Google AdWords sponsored ads in Google.com and their search network. The problem I have is that they've also caused me untold amounts of frustration and money due to their inability to correct fraudulent "impression" attacks when they occur."
"If you have a great CTR over time, your ad can maintain a dominant first page position for far less than a new advertiser is charged. It takes a great deal of money and patience to remain in a top position and there are many competitors who will try and knock you off by either fraudulently clicking on your ad or causing thousands of bogus impressions to send your CTR through the floor."
"...whenever impression fraud occurs, Google recognizes it is a problem but will not "credit your account" to reverse the damage done by bogus impressions. Your ad tanks and then you have to increase your max CPC to get 1st page ad status until your ad gets in a strong enough position where you can lower your CPC again and remain in the same position. Google apologizes profusely for the problem but does nothing to help me rehabilitate my ad or save me the money. Translation - Google knows I've been attacked but now I have to spend hundreds of extra dollars to keep my ad in place."
"Case in point, just yesterday my ad received 45,000 impressions in a 5 hour period. My CTR is typically 1% and it tanked to .1% and my ad was put in a slowed state. Advertising for months, 45,000 impressions represented over 12% of all impressions and they occured in a 5 hour period! Google apologizes but says they can do nothing to remove the impressions from my Ad Group and now, after months and thousands of dollars on a good keyword, I'm sent to the bottom of the pile based on 5 hours of impressions."
Other comments by AdWords advertisers
"The real problem with this is that I spend a lot of time and energies getting to an optimal position, and developing a great CTR which helps keep me there. This impression spamming is destroying history on the keyword in Google, requiring me to start over in a new ad group or new camapign. Further, it seems Google takes a while to start serving the ad 100% of the time once I do re-start. This time it knocked me and all of my affiliates off of the keyword for about 24 hours, and it took another 3-4 days to right-size the campaign. When you're talking gross sales of $15k+ per day on this keyword, it really hurts."
"I've run into what appears to be impression spamming on a paricular keyword. The keyword can roll along nicely at 5,000 impressions per day, then one day it skyrockets to 30,000 or more. The kicker is, there are no more clicks, so it all appears to be some script that pings Google on that keyword relentlessly. So my CTR drops through the floor, and Google disables it."
Source and the Google Search for this issue
Google knows about the issue but does nothing but apologize
They call it "impression spam" and say this:
"How do you prevent click and page impression spam?
Any method used to artificially and generate clicks or page impressions is strictly prohibited. Google monitors clicks on Google ads to prevent abuse of the Google AdSense program. Google's proprietary technology analyzes clicks to determine whether they fit a pattern of use intended to artificially drive up an advertiser's clicks or a publisher's earnings. Clicks deemed by us to be invalid should not be included in your earnings.
These prohibited methods include but are not limited to: repeated manual clicks, using robots, automated clicking tools, or other deceptive software. Please note that clicking on your own ads for any reason is prohibited, to avoid potential inflation of advertiser costs. All clicks must be generated as the result of a user clicking on the ads. We therefore require that Web pages do not include incentives of any kind for users to click on ads. This includes encouraging users to click on the ads or to visit the advertisers' sites as well as labeling the ads with text other than "sponsored links" or "advertisements."
Please be assured that there is no need for test clicks in order to verify the validity of the ads. Our AdWords specialists review ads to verify that the destination URLs of the ads are working and lead to a valid website."
Source - Please let me very clear. They mention impression spam a few times but have absolutely nothing to say about detecting it, correcting these fraudulent impressions via a "make good", or any disciplinary action that they will take against the AdWords fraudsters.
Why should AdSense affiliates care about this fraud?
Impression spam is fraud and has the real potential to unfairly deplete advertiser revenue via increased costs to advertise. If advertiser leave the AdWords program, your sites will display fewer keywords and your earnings will drop. Have you ever wondered why all of a sudden your site displays fewer keywords and or PSA adverts and your revenue drops or fluctuates wildly? A significant portion of this may be directly attributed to impression spam which eliminates the keywords. Some of you also use AdWords, so you are easy targets for your competition to eliminate your keywords by artificially lowering your CTR.
Only Google can fix this issue
We refuse to believe that the premiere SE in the world and the most talented group of coders can't devise a solution which eliminates the additional costs and time to AdWords advertisers. Frankly, many other networks have devised related solutions to eliminate fraud so Google needs to get serious about this issue and stop turning a "blind eye". A simplified solution for Google: repeated query's for the same keywords in a given period of time should trigger an automatic procedure by Google which ignores/fails to count the display of the advert. Yes, we are aware of the release of the new AdSence API, but it does nothing to address this issue. Next, Google needs to sue these AdWords fraudsters and insure that their site contains suitable verbiage indicating exactly what they won't tolerate and exactly what they will do.
Unfortunately, I'm not very optimistic that Google will implement corrective action. Why? They currently occupy the dominant position in the space so they apparently prefer to think short term. Naturally, this will change as Yahoo/Overture and Microsoft continue to gain market share and advertisers in larger numbers. This will cause a significant exit of advertisers from AdWords to these other SE and then the competitive forces of the marketplace will force everyone to treat advertisers in a fair and equitable manner.
Advice for AdWords advertisers
1. Assume that you will be abused via impression spam and click fraud.
2. When computing your ROI projections, use an additional figure of 25% for impression spam and click fraud costs.
3. Carefully examine your AdWords stats on the Google site and look for "traffic spikes" Many of the advertisers I contacted were not even aware of this serious issue until we examined the traffic spikes and the resultant suspension of the Campaign. You need to perform this audit on a weekly basis.
4. Read Internet News on a regular basis for additional advertising options via other companies.
5. Send your complaints, stats and thoughts to Google via the AdWords Contact Us form.
Posted by Steve_S
December 03, 2004
The implosion of AdSense & AdWords
The dirty little secret about Google leaves me confused and perplexed. They enable folks to cheat their own Affiliate Program and rob Advertisers. Not to mention the fact that Corporations need to speak with one voice.
Welcome to Google. Let us help you cheat and rob!
Run this search in Google for "fake hits". It looks like "I-Faker" has some darn good rankings. This is one of the automated tools which cheaters use to steal money from Google's AdWords Advertisers. Some affiliates of the AdSense program love this tool. Earth to Google: did the thought ever cross your mind that these listings paint you as an enabler. Your very own Search Engine helps folks cheat. If you are serious about reducing click fraud and protecting your Advertisers, it's a trivial matter for you to ban these listings and tell your spider not to index these sites.
Mixed signals about click fraud, direct from a Stanford Dorm
Actually, Google is a public company which apparently lacks continuity in "Corporate Speak". Consider these two examples:
December 1, 2004 - Source " I think something has to be done about this really, really quickly, because I think, potentially, it threatens our business model," Google Chief Financial Officer George Reyes said Wednesday.
Reyes, speaking at an investor conference sponsored by Credit Suisse First Boston, was referring to an illegal practice known as "click fraud" that occurs when individuals click on ad links that appear next to search results in order to force advertisers to pay for the clicks.,..."
November 24, 2004 - Source "We are vigilant in protecting our advertisers and the integrity of our programs. We have sophisticated technology that detects and eliminates fraud. This lawsuit against Auctions Expert demonstrates the success of our anti-fraud system and that we will take legal action when appropriate," said Google spokesman Steve Langdon.
First you tell the world how great your anti-fraud technology is and seven days later you effectively tell "the street" that your entire business model is in jeopardy. Over 70% of your pre tax net profit is in jeopardy.
What a marvelous way to instill confidence in the AdWords community of advertisers. Cheaters also love this. It shows weakness and lack of purpose. Hire a professional Communications/PR agency and speak with one consistent voice.
Posted by Steve_S
November 21, 2004
Google Sues AdSense Affiliate For Click Fraud
It's about time! Publishers have been cheating this affiliate program since the day it launched. Capitalizing on the inexperience of Google, a poorly drafted Terms and Conditions, and their reluctancy to play hard ball.
This action was filed in the San Clara County Superior Court on November 15, 2004. Click here to read the court summary in a new window. Naturally, the defendants in this case are assumed innocent until proven guilty however their is another troubling aspect to this action. Google already paid Auction Expert International L.L.C. and it's principals named Sergio Morfin and Alexei Leonov. Why? Where was the audit? Did Google actually think that Fraudsters return funds?
Let's hope that this action is the first of many more to come and that Google also eliminates many of the top rankings for some of the "cheater tools" from their very own Search Engine.
Posted by Steve_S