IAB Releases Click Measurement Guidelines

May 14, 2009 by admin
Filed under Search Engines

The International Advertising Bureau has released new guidelines for Cost-Per-Click (CPC) advertising. The Click Measurement Guidelines were agreed upon by key industry members and offer a strong framework for identifying click fraud.

The Guidelines:

Define the technical life-cycle of a “click” and outline standard methodologies by which clicks should be measured and counted, including provisions for identifying invalid and/or fraudulent clicks.
Establish standard terms that will help streamline the buying and selling of click-based media.
Increase transparency and consistency in click measurements for media companies, ad-serving organizations, advertisers, and third-party click auditors.

You can download the 28 page document here.

“The fact that we’ve obtained agreement within the online industry on the precise definition and measurement of a click and a procedure for identifying and eliminating fraudulent clicks is a huge win for the industry,” said Joe Laszlo, research director of the IAB. “These guidelines help assure marketers that the clicks they are paying for are generated by real people with a real interest in the product or service being advertised.”

What do you think of the new guidelines? Share your opinions in the comments below.