It is common for Internet users to make a little money on the side through ads. But, what if this blogger is able to generate more income from solicited clicks? In order to make money from ads, bloggers need their readers to click on one of the various advertisements hosted on their page. Each click generates from around seven cents to two dollars. These earnings are not substantial if you only average 3 clicks per day. To counteract this problem, many bloggers have taken to asking the reader to click on their ads to generate more income. Usually, the blogger offers some form of compensation, such as offering to promote them. These solicited clicks can give a blogger anywhere from a couple of hundreds to a couple of thousands in payment, driving up how much money the advertisers spend to have their ad on your site. The increase in your earnings can rapidly drain a small company’s budget, putting them out of the advertising game within a couple of weeks. Without a source of advertisement, it would be harder for companies to get their name out there and the company’s income might lower as a result. It would be smart for advertisers to make sure that they are paying for ad space on a reputable blog.
Source: Julia Layton, “What is this click fraud that is costing Google billions?,” March 28,  2014, http://computer.howstuffworks.com/click-fraud.htm.
Past Coverage: Charles C. Mann, “How Click Fraud Could Swallow The Internet,” January 2006, http://archive.wired.com/wired/archive/14.01/fraud.html.
Student Researcher: Ariella St. Rose (Indian River State College)
Faculty Evaluator: Elliot D. Cohen (Indian River State College)