Audience targeting firm Dstillery is preparing its big clampdown on unscrupulous websites by securing a patent for a new fraud detection system.
The US-based company believes websites with ‘suspect traffic’, or those gaining visits through fraudulent techniques, are representing a growing threat across the world wide web. Brands are reportedly being conned into believing that certain publishers are worth their ad dollars despite the bulk of their hits and clicks coming from small packs of ‘robot’ visitors.
Dstillery is now looking to remedy the issue by rolling out a system which should help identify the culprits and inform companies where their money is best spent.
The fightback begins
Spurious traffic is said to be creating a headache for marketers around the world, encouraging them to invest heavily in placing and paying out commission on ads which fail to convert.
In 2012, a report from social ad data firm RadiumOne estimated that one third of all web traffic is ‘non-intentional’, with this earning bot-employing affiliates $400 million in ad revenue.
Two years on and Dstillery has unveiled a system which aims to reduce such cases by suspending buying impressions on sites with significant amounts of overlaps in web visits.
Now, news of the company’s successful application for the US Patent 8,719,934 B2 for Methods, Systems and Media for Detecting Non-Intended Traffic Using Co-Visitation should help Dstillery bring this idea out into the public domain.
‘Real results’ driven by ‘real behaviour’
One man that appreciates the value of natural traffic is Tom Phillips, CEO of Dstillery and co-chair of the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s (IAB) Traffic of Good Intent task force.
He believes the company’s new product will go some way to eliminating fraud in such a lucrative industry.
“With other firms adopting this technology, we help establish greater trust and greater transparency for marketers using digital advertising,” said Phillips.
“While it’s just one step in the fight against fraud, it’s an important one in delivering real value to the marketers we serve.”