PPC (Paid Per Click) Click fraud costs the online marketing industry hundreds of millions annually.The latest results from fraud figures from the major search engines show a mixed bag of results.PPC sponsored listings showed a decrease  in the fraud rate from 27.6% to 27.1% in the latest study. The click fraud due to click bots showed an increase from 25.2% to 27.6% in the latest study.      This could mean that Google’s anti-click fraud policy is hitting home to competitor click fraudsters who showed a decline in the number of fraudulently clicked links. While it seems that click bots may be getting smarter as the fraud due to click bots saw an increase in the latest study.

      Studies show that large portion of the click fraud registered by the major search engines originates from outside the US, with the biggest contributions to that figure being made by other major economies like, UK and France. Shocking isn’t it!

      More important than the financial implications that fraud has on the online marketing industry through revenue lost due to fraud, is the tarnishing effect it has on the reputation of the industry as a whole. With rates like these, a whole lot more effort and resources needs to be put into place to bring these figures down, to ensure healthy future growth in this blossoming industry.