It is surprising to me that Google hasn’t done this earlier. Did it really take them that long to catch up with this practice? Or did they finally have to do something, because of news that click fraud represents 10-15% of advertisers' billed traffic. These numbers may or may not be accurate, but potential click fraud is certainly one of the reasons why I advise our clients to run ads only on the Search Network and not on the Content Network. (Low-quality clicks on the Content Network may also be triggered by boredom, curiosity, and the intention by some visitors to do the site/blog owner a favor by randomly clicking on some ads.) Ads on the Search Network, on the other hand, often cost significantly more per click, but – and this is the big difference - search engine users are actively looking for specific information and the chance to turn them into customers are much higher and worth the extra cost.

Whatever the reason for this crackdown, the result will make the user experience better by delivering more relevant information. Isn’t that what Google is all about and what made them so successful?