The size of the online click campaign market is growing. This is evidenced by the Google Ad revenue (US) to the tune of $237 billion (2023) and Meta’s ad revenue stands at $131billion (2023). This has grown 6% and 16% respectively in the last year. With the size of the click market growing, it is estimated that digital advertising fraud cost will increase from $88 billion to $172 billion within the next five years. That figure will grow 14% annually and nearly double, as per a Statista Report.

This impacts all advertisers spending on clicks across platforms as click fraud is a multifaced threat that can take many forms, from sophisticated bots and malicious software to organized human operations like click farms. For advertisers, understanding these tactics is crucial to protect their investments and ensuring that their marketing efforts reach genuine and interested audiences.

How Does Click Fraud Work?

Click fraud happens when publishers artificially increase the number of clicks a PPC or CPC advertisement receives with bots. Invalid clicks do not bring about any desirable visit or event, such as generating leads or sales. Instead, they serve only to enrich fraudsters and drain the budgets of legitimate businesses. Malicious intent is at the heart of clicks fraud. Scammers use fraudulent clicks to show improved interaction on the ad and inflate their revenue from ads.

Read more Click Fraud: How to Protect Your Digital Ad Budget