Global digital ad fraud is estimated to reach $100 billion by 2023. DesignRush reached out to experts to discover the ways businesses can avoid ad fraud when buying digital media spots.

MIAMI - OCTOBER 21, 2022

The cost of global digital advertising fraud is forecasted to grow from $35 billion to $100 billion between 2018 and 2023, as shared by Statista. It suggests that ad fraud is a common issue for modern marketers and businesses that may hurt their reputation and bottom line.

DesignRush, a B2B marketplace connecting businesses with agencies, leveraged its 16,000-agencies-strong network for quick insights – or “QuickSights” – on the ways businesses can avoid ad fraud when buying digital media spots.

1) LEVERAGE AD VERIFICATION TOOLS & USE A THIRD-PARTY AUDIT PROVIDER

According to Evan Swanson, owner-operator at Alamo City Marketing Solutions, businesses should leverage ad verification tools and third-party audit providers (if they use a private programmatic network) to avoid ad fraud.

“Employ ad verification tools in your campaigns and if you decide to use a private programmatic network then you must use a third-party audit provider,” said Swanson. “Always study your analytics [and] look for signs of [fraudulent] activity such as poor site analytics, abnormally high CTRs, suspicious site list and most importantly lack of performance in your conversions, sales or other business outcomes that will indicate concrete warnings for signs of ad fraud. I use Click Guard on all my PPC ads. Click Guard stops click fraud in its steps and provides analytical data that helps you make the best data-driven decisions with the peace of mind [of] knowing you are protected.”

2) PICK A REPUTABLE MEDIA BUYING AGENCY & MONITOR YOUR DIGITAL ACTIVITIES CLOSELY

In the opinion of Mansoor Bhanpurawala, digital marketing manager at Funnel Simplified, organizations should work with trusted partners and monitor their ad campaigns closely.

“It is important to choose [an ad placement vendor] that is reputable and has a good track record and has online reviews,” said Bhanpurawala. “Along with that, it is important to monitor your digital advertising campaigns closely. Look out for any unusual activity, such as a sudden spike in clicks or impressions and keep your software up to date.”

3) FIND OUT WHERE THE ADS WILL BE DISPLAYED

Futur Founder and CEO Joanne Eberhardt shares that knowing where the ads will be displayed is critical, while also ensuring ad relevance.

“One of the most crucial steps one can take in preventing ad fraud is to research the media, platform or provider and know exactly where the ads will be published,” said Eberhardt. “Let’s say you’ve decided to buy an ad spot on a well-known news website. After reviewing the analytics, you’ll need to determine where the ads will be displayed so the context of your ads will be relevant to the content on the website and if possible, dictate what time of day the ads are shown.”

DesignRush released the October list of the best media buying agencies to help businesses find a reliable partner to plan and purchase media placements for various advertising channels.

1. Alamo City Marketing Solutions - marketingsolutions-tx.com
Expertise: Advertising, PPC Management, Social Media Marketing and more

2. REQ - req.co
Expertise: Paid Search Advertising, Social Media Advertising, Video Advertising and more

3. Funnel Simplified - funnelsimplified.com
Expertise: Social Media Marketing, Email Marketing, PPC Management and more

4. Futur PR - futurpr.io
Expertise: PPC Management, Influencer Marketing, Social Media Marketing and more

5. Pixellion - pixelliongroup.com
Expertise: Paid Media, Digital Marketing, Influencer Marketing and more

6. Multi Marketing USA - multimarketingusa.com
Expertise: Affiliate Marketing, PPC Services, Geo Targeting and more

7. HYPE - hypedhaka.com
Expertise: Marketing Strategy, Online Advertising, Influencer Marketing and more

8. Global Social Media Marketing - globalsocialmediamarketing.com
Expertise: Facebook Advertising, YouTube Advertising, Google Advertising and more

9. MediaScape Advertising - mediascapeadvertising.com
Expertise: Integrated Marketing, Media Buying, Analytic Management and more

10. Pietryla PR & Marketing - pietrylapr.com
Expertise: Media Relations, Paid Placements, Social Media Management and more

11. Lounge Lizard - loungelizard.com
Expertise: Email Marketing, Social Media Marketing, PPC Advertising and more

12. Mindgruve - mindgruve.com
Expertise: Media Planning & Buying, Marketing Strategy, Social Media & Community Management and more

13. GKV - gkv.com
Expertise: Advertising, Social Media Marketing, Strategic Planning and more

14. MAXBURST - maxburst.com
Expertise: Search Engine Marketing, Media Buying Planning & Placement, Social Media Marketing and more

15. Adlicious - adlicious.me
Expertise: Social Media Advertising, Display Advertising, YouTube Advertising and more

Brands can explore the top media buying agencies by location, size, average hourly rate and portfolio on DesignRush.

About DesignRush:

DesignRush.com is a B2B marketplace connecting businesses with agencies through expert reviews and agency ranking lists, awards, knowledge resources and personalized agency recommendations for vetted projects.