Is Ad Hijacking Stealing Your Revenue? A Guide for Google Ads Experts

By: Andy Cooney, Co-founder at Marcode

Imagine a scenario: your brand search CPCs plummet by 200% while clicks soar. Revenue skyrockets, especially for brands relying heavily on paid search. Sounds like a dream, right?  But what if this incredible success wasn't due to optimized landing pages, compelling ad copy, or innovative campaign types? What if it stemmed from stopping a hidden problem—a problem like affiliate hijacking?

This article dives deep into the world of ad hijacking, exposing its tactics and revealing how to protect your brand.  We'll explore real-world examples, discuss the implications of this deceptive practice, and provide actionable steps to combat it.

Here's what we'll cover:

• Understanding Ad Hijacking: What it is, how it works, and why it's a growing concern for brands.

• The Impact of Ad Hijacking: The negative consequences for your brand's performance and revenue.

• Identifying and Preventing Ad Hijacking: Telltale signs and strategies to protect your brand.

What is Ad Hijacking?

Ad hijacking occurs when unauthorized affiliates manipulate Google Ads to divert traffic and revenue from your brand. They create ads that closely mimic your own, often appearing indistinguishable to the average user. However, these ads are designed to siphon off valuable clicks and attribute sales to the hijacker, not your brand.

How it Works:

• Mimicking Brand Ads: Hijackers create ads that look nearly identical to your brand's ads, often with subtle variations to avoid immediate detection.

• Exploiting Affiliate Links: When users click on a hijacked ad, affiliate parameters are added to the URL, redirecting the user through the hijacker's affiliate link.

• Siphoning Revenue: Any sales generated from this redirected traffic are attributed to the hijacker, who earns a commission at your brand's expense.

The Consequences of Ad Hijacking

Ad hijacking can significantly impact your brand's performance and revenue:

• Inflated CPCs: Increased competition from hijackers drives up your brand search CPCs, costing you more for the same clicks.

• Misattributed Revenue: Sales are wrongly attributed to the affiliate channel, distorting your performance data and potentially leading to misguided budget allocation.

• Lost Revenue: You essentially pay a commission on clicks that you would have likely received organically or through your own paid search efforts.

Identifying the Telltale Signs

Spotting ad hijacking requires vigilance and attention to detail. Here are some red flags:

• Sudden Spikes in Brand PPC Costs: Unexplained increases in your brand search CPCs could indicate hijacking activity.

• Unexplained Drops in Revenue: If your brand's revenue suddenly declines without a clear cause, ad hijacking might be the culprit.

• Suspicious Affiliate Performance: A sudden surge in performance from an unknown or previously low-performing affiliate warrants further investigation.

• Poorly Written Ads: Hijackers often use generic or slightly off-brand ad copy, which can be a clue to their activity.

Taking Action to Protect Your Brand

Combating ad hijacking requires a multi-faceted approach:

• Report Suspicious Ads to Google: While not always effective, reporting ads can prompt Google to take action against hijackers.

• Increase Bidding Aggressively: This can be a temporary solution to outbid hijackers, but it's not sustainable in the long run.

• Collaborate with Your Affiliate Team: Work closely with your affiliate team or network to implement preventative measures.

Key Steps for Prevention include:

• Thorough Affiliate Vetting: Implement strict vetting processes to ensure affiliates comply with brand bidding guidelines.

• Proactive Monitoring: Regularly monitor your brand's search results and affiliate performance for suspicious activity.

• Swift Action Against Violators: Remove any affiliates caught breaking the rules to prevent further hijacking attempts.

Ad hijacking is a serious threat to your brand's online presence and revenue. By understanding its tactics and implementing preventative measures, you can protect your brand and ensure your hard-earned marketing budget isn't lining the pockets of unauthorized affiliates.

Andy Cooney is the Co-Founder of Marcode, a paid search intelligence tool. He’s worked in digital for 15 years, and is focused on breaking out of the black box to improve campaigns. 

You can find him on LinkedIn