Recently, brands have faced increasing threats from imposter advertisers on major search engines like Google or Bing, as well as social media platforms like Meta and TikTok. And despite efforts by media giants like Google to combat fraudulent ads, the problem persists, leaving brands vulnerable to scams, trademark violations, and other forms of digital advertising fraud. Long story short: Brands are losing out big time and paying the literal price for bad actors on search engines more than ever before.
Google's Efforts and Limitations
Google's annual Ads Safety Report released in March 2024, highlights its ongoing battle against fraudulent advertising. In 2023 (alone), Google stopped 5.5 billion bad ads, up from 5.2 billion in 2022. Of these, 548 million ads were blocked for violating Google's trademark policy, and 206 million ads were blocked for violating misrepresentation policies, including scams and ads with unavailable offers.
Despite these seemingly impressive numbers, Google's brand safety efforts only scratch the surface. There are literally billions of fraudulent ads out in the wild that evade Google's detection mechanisms, and the list of potential threats is extensive, including ad-hijacks, phishing, scams, trademark violations, unavailable offers, and irrelevant ad copy.
For Google’s part, it acknowledges the ongoing challenge in its report saying: "In 2023, scams and fraud across all online platforms were on the rise. Bad actors are constantly evolving their tactics to manipulate digital advertising in order to scam people and legitimate businesses alike."
The Growing Threat on Microsoft Search Engines
Engines like Bing and Yahoo are certainly not immune to these issues. In fact, the nature of these search engines (often receiving less surveillance from brands because of reduced PPC investment, when compared to Google) makes them attractive targets for imposter advertisers. Brands have reported a significant rise in fraudulent ads, which not only harms consumers but also tarnishes the reputations of legitimate businesses.
Shown above is a fraudster impersonating Stanley on Bing, posing themselves as Stanley's Official Website
As a provider specialized in PPC protection and compliance enforcement, BrandVerity works with hundreds of brands, scanning the search engines in the lookout for imposter ads and other PPC violations.
The reality is that demand for PPC protection services has spiked in the last 18 to 24 months - as volumes of fraudulent ads have been on the rise, with fraudsters developing more complex and sophisticated techniques to evade the search engines’ detection mechanisms.
Proactive Measures for Brands
Given the scale of the problem, brands cannot solely rely on the search engines’ mechanisms to protect them. Instead, businesses must take proactive measures to safeguard their digital advertising landscape. Here are some practical and effective steps brands can take:
- Monitor PPC Landscape: Regularly monitor your pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns to identify any suspicious activities. Tools like BrandVerity can help automate this process and provide detailed reports on potential threats.
- Proactively Report Fraudulent Ads: Don’t wait for platforms like Google to detect and remove fraudulent ads. Actively report any violations to ensure they are reviewed and blocked. This not only helps protect your brand but also holds platforms accountable for enforcing their advertising policies.
- Educate Your Team: Ensure your marketing, PPC, and compliance teams (if you’re lucky enough to have one) are well-informed about the latest tactics used by bad actors. Regular training sessions can help your team stay vigilant and respond quickly to emerging threats.
- Engage with Platform Support: Each platform has its own reporting mechanisms for fraudulent ads. Familiarize yourself with these processes and establish a direct line of communication with platform support teams. This can expedite the removal of imposter ads and mitigate potential damage to your brand.
- Partner with Specialists: Collaborate with companies that specialize in detecting and combating advertising fraud.The first step is to identify the fraudulent ads, then take action to take the bad actors down. Specialists like BrandVerity can provide the expertise and tools needed to protect your brand effectively.
Looking Ahead
BrandVerity doesn’t foresee search engines eradicating or even effectively mitigating the issue of imposter advertisers anytime soon. And while platforms like Google and Microsoft are making strides in combating fraudulent ads, the responsibility ultimately falls on brands to protect themselves and their customers.
This means it’s up to the brands themselves to identify and take remediation action against these problematic ads cannibalizing their Search traffic and scamming customers. By staying vigilant, leveraging specialized tools and solutions providers like BrandVerity,and proactively reporting violations, brands can mitigate the risks posed by imposter advertisers and maintain their reputation in the digital marketplace.
