=== ClickGUARD – Click Fraud Detection And Prevention ===

Contributors: clickguard
Tags: click fraud, ad fraud, ppc fraud, detection, prevention, adwords
License: GPLv2
License URI: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html
Requires at least: 4.8
Tested up to: 4.9.2
Stable tag: 1.2
Requires PHP: 5.3
License: GPLv2 or later
License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

Removes the pain and frustration of losing money to click fraud. Protects PPC campaigns from money wasting fraudulent clicks.

== Description ==

CLICK FRAUD STOPS **HERE**

ClickGUARD is the most complete set of click fraud protective features and tools on the market.

It allows users powerful, high level functionality to monitor and limit click fraud from specific IP addresses and devices with a multitude of fully customizable PPC click fraud protection management features:

* **CLICK FREQUENCY SHIELD** - catches IP addresses and devices that are frequently clicking on your ads
* **TARGET FREQUENCY SHIELD** - catches IP address and devices that are frequently engaging multiple targets with ad clicks
* **PLACEMENT FREQUENCY SHIELD** - identifies ad placements that generate suspicious frequent visits during specified time periods
* **CONVERSION SHIELD** - aims to prevent showing ads to persons who engage them but never convert
* **TIME ON SITE SHIELD** - catches visitors who click on your ads and quickly leave your site
* **CLICK INTENSITY SHIELD** - catches peaks in click fraud and enables automated campaign pausing
* **INVALID CLICKS SHIELD** - catches invalid clicks draining your budget
* **FULL PROTECTION CONTROL** - for specific campaigns, domains, URLs, ad groups, keywords, searches, device types and geographical locations

Visit the [full list of features](https://www.clickguard.com/features/) to learn more.

= Click Fraud Detection and Prevention =

Today, the PPC industry loses tens of billions of dollars to fraudulent clicks. Whether it’s a competitor clicking on your ads or click farms that copy SERP impressions for offshore facilities where devices and IPs are rotated to prevent tracking and blocking - your advertising dollars are being wasted!

Quick facts:

* Nearly 3 out of 4 PPC campaigns are affected by money wasting click fraud
* Some competitive industries, sectors and regions experience up to 90% of click fraud
* tens of billion dollars were wasted on click fraud and malicious clicks each year

On average, ClickGUARD clients save between 10% to 15% on ad expenses and can see as high as 30% savings, which increases return on investment and the ability to maintain online brand presence, market share and investment capital.

= FAQ =

== What is click fraud? ==

Click fraud happens when one or more individuals or computer programs continuously deliver
unwanted or repeated clicks to your paid PPC ads. This drives up costs for the advertiser, who has to pay for the click even though it will never result in any type of profit.

== To What Degree can I be affected? ==

Depending on your industry and competitive landscape, as well as the number of ads you’re running, you could be exposed to multiple types of click fraud – from competitors clicking on your ads to click farms laying waste to your marketing budget.

== Can I Stop The Problem Myself? ==

You could combat click fraud without a specialized platform up to a certain point, but it would require using several expensive tools to monitor, detect and analyze traffic, and then manually blocking IP addresses and placements.

== Installation ==

In order to use the WordPress plugin, you must have an active ClickGUARD account. You can register for an account [here](https://www.clickguard.com/start-free-trial/). Terms of service are available [here](https://www.clickguard.com/terms-of-service/).

= Installation steps =

1. Upload 'clickguard' to the '/wp-content/plugins/' directory
1. Activate the plugin through the 'Plugins' menu in WordPress
1. Go to Settings -> ClickGUARD to open the settings
1. Register your site with ClickGUARD
1. Select your account protected with ClickGUARD
1. Configure tracking and dashboard information
1. Smile - your advertising budget is safe!

== Changelog ==

= 1.0 =
* You're protected from click fraud!

= 1.1 =
* Minor fixes

= 1.2 =
* Updated application links
* Added invalid click counts to dashboard widget

== Upgrade Notice ==

Upgrade for better performance.

== Screenshots ==

1. Registering your website with ClickGUARD
2. Selecting your protected account
3. Configuring settings
4. Clicks Summary