Low-Intention Traffic

Some web sites resort to popunders, popups, IFRAMEs, and even invisible page-loads as they attempt to monetize. Some web sites “click-jack” users’ clicks, so that user requesting one thing gets something else instead or in addition. Some ad networks specialize in selling this traffic. We track this traffic to protect advertisers.

For large advertisers, low-intention traffic effectively asks an advertiser to pay for traffic it would otherwise get for free. Example: At stealthisvideo.com, a popunder loads an affiliate link to mega-advertiser.com. Users ignore the popunder. But some users happen to buy from mega-advertiser anyway – assume it’s a huge and popular site. According to mega-advertiser’s affiliate program rules, commission is payable if a user buys within 7 days of the affiliate link. If a rogue affiliate buys enough popunder traffic, it will happen to hit some users who shop from mega-advertiser within the next 7 days, and it will get paid accordingly. That’s a bad deal for mega-advertiser – asking the advertiser to pay for traffic that was entirely nonincremental.

Small advertisers also have reason to be concerned. If a user is at a site with unlawful or objectionable content – be it copyright infringement, pornography, gambling, or other content harmful to a brand – most advertisers won’t want to be involved. And no one likes popups or popunders.

We test hundreds of sites known to engage in low-intention traffic. When we find traffic targeting the advertisers and networks we work with, we let them know.