Click-Throughs

ALSO CALLED: Ad Clicks
DEFINITION: Click fraud (sometimes called pay-per-click fraud) is the practice of artificiallyinflating traffic statistics to defraud advertisers or Web sites that provide venues foradvertisers. In the common pay-per-click advertising model, advertisers pay a fee for each click ontheir link. According to a CNET News article some industry segments have costs-per-click of severaldollars. By using automated clicking  … 
Definition continues below.

CLICK-THROUGHS DEFINITION (continued): …  programs (called hitbots) or employing low-cost workers toclick the links, the perpetrators create the illusion that a large number of potential customersare clicking the advertiser's links, when in fact there is no likelihood that any of the clickswill lead to profit for the advertiser.Click fraud scammers often take advantage of the affiliate programs offered by some Web sites,such as Google and Yahoo! Search Marketing. The scammers sign up for the affiliate programs,agreeing to provide further exposure to the advertising in question and receiving a portion of thepay-per-click fees in return. …