PPC is an expensive but an easier way to make it high in search engines results. An expensive alternative to search engine optimization, PPC doesn’t require a website owner to wait until a search engine locates it and finds it appropriate to rank. On the contrary, PPC or pay per click is a type of advertising on the web where the advertiser has to pay whenever his advertisement is clicked on.

There is a serious flaw in PPC as of now. Unscrupulous buyers find it easy to turn and advertiser bankrupt by simply making casual clicks on advertisement published by the later. During the beginning phase of PPC, this type of fraud was only a minor inconvenience, but now it has completely changed and the fraud has multiplied manifold.

Who is behind click fraud?
A general and obvious reason is competition. A company will click on advertisement posted by his competitor for two reasons: a) to give him a run for his money and b) drive him out of competition for a particular competitive keyword or keywords. its sometimes argued that some dishonest search engines themselves get engaged in this activities since it is the search engine who the advertiser has to pay per click on his advertisement.

Is there a remedy?
While newer methods for preventing click fraud are constantly being developed, their success against smart adversaries are yet to be judged. An example of prevention against click fraud is AdWatcher, an on-line monitoring service that offers a product called Fraud Blocker that sends warning messages to Internet locations logging an unusually high number of visits to their client’s site.

How to locate the fraud?
If you are a PPC advertiser, you should keep a strict vigil against this undesirable act. Here are some simple steps:

• Check out for multiple clicks from a single IP address
• Check out high volume of clicks on any particular time
• Check out the volume of clicks on more expensive keywords

Marketing lobbyists are fighting at the federal level for tighter policing of click fraud, but the effectiveness of potential legislation, if or when it occurs, is unknown. In the meantime, advertisers should connect with search-marketing firms that monitor their PPC data carefully and stay current with developments in fraud and fraud-prevention technology.