banner exchange ****

[archtrader]

I am running a banner exchange network, and just had a member join who is registering over 3.0 % CTR. Recently, a member complained that his site was not being loaded completely when the banner was clicked on, even though the clicks were being registred in the banner exchange stats. page. He was able to determine this by looking at his log file, to see that none of his graphics on his site were being loaded when the banner was clicked on I decided to investigate, so I went to the 3.0 % CTR member's site and clicked on the banner when ever it came up, and was immediately taken to the banner site, at which time it was completely loaded. Something doesn't seem right.......is it possible that the 3.0% CTR member could be artificially generating clicks that would register in the exchange, but not allow the page to load? Could he be paying someone to make a full time job of clicking on the banners, and then back browsing before the site loads? I want to find out if I am being ****med? Any advise would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Owl]

That '3% CTR user' might be using a hitbot. Normally hitbots only send modified http-header and don't download the content of the website. Dont you think that 3% CTR is too big?

[iliketosearch]

If the guy is using a bot or "img src" tags to generate clicks these typically only request the html of the page and never the graphics... check the source of his page if you suspect it the "img src" tags. Bots are harder to prove...

[Owl]

Originally posted by iliketosearch
Bots are harder to prove...

Not really if you are logging the IPs which clicks are coming from.
Then you just have to have an updated proxies list.

You can also make a script refusing connections from *cache*, *proxy* etc. hosts, but not cheaters only use proxies, so you can lose real visitors.

[archtrader]

Like I said, I am able to go onto his site and click on the banner myself and register the click and bring up the banner site the way it is suppose to work. I just can't figure out how other's can report that their banner was registered as a click, and then not have their site come up. The only thing that I figure is that someone is being paid to go to the site and click on all the banners very rapidly not giving them time to load. Or else, maybe there is a way that he can get the banner exchange clicks to register without loading the site attached to the banner.

[Owl]

Originally posted by archtrader
I just can't figure out how other's can report that their banner was registered as a click, and then not have their site come up.

Speak with guys at www.ssan.com, they got nice anti-cheat script, logging how many bytes and pages viewed the visitor comming from their affiliate program link (they are paying 0.25$ a click).

Or else, maybe there is a way that he can get the banner exchange clicks to register without loading the site attached to the banner.

I told you - that's a hitbot.

[archtrader]

If he was using hitbot, then wouldn't I get the "modified html-header" when I click on the banner myself? When I click on the banner, I go directly to the site attached to the banner, just like it is suppose to work. I guess I am not clear how the hitbot works......does hitbot require modification to the banner code that he places on his site, or does it work external from his site?

[Owl]

You change nothing on your page, most hitbots uses proxies to change it's real ip. You won't know if someone is using hitbot by going to his/her website. Lets say hitbot is a kind of a program opening pages you want through proxies to register unique clicks, but to make it much faster and easier the hitbot doesnt load the whole content (images)of the page . It only sends a http header(kind of information which is send when you are browsing websites) to your tracking software, so it thinks a normal user has clicked a banner.

[vays]

Looks like an interesting thread.
We run www.tlxchange.com - Text Link Exchange Network and already caught many cheaters.
There some things to investigate:

1) Check the popularity of the site and compare it to the number of banners shown by your member. I mean if your member shows 20000 banners a day and according to the counter on his page he receives only 100 users daily he is cheater. If there is no counter check its link popularity at google.

2) Check some ips from IP log. If he is using some kind of hitbot there would be many IPs listed as anonimous proxies.

3) Also I've caught one user by checking the log of reffering pages. Most of impressions were generated from the contact page which I'm sure isn't as popular as front page.


Just my 0.02$