Hosting.com Launches Study Into Pay-Per-Click Fraud as Part of New Hosting Labs Initiative

HostReview.com
Friday, May 5, 2006; 01:16 AM

Irvine, CA - Hosting.com, Inc., a global leader in managed hosting and colocation, announced today it is launching a six to twelve month comprehensive study into the issue of pay-per-click (“PPC”) fraud through its Hosting.com Labs division. Hosting.com Labs is an Internet think tank designed to research some of the complex Internet challenges of the day and forward to its constituents’ knowledge and information that may springboard development of new products and services.

“Being a victim of click fraud ourselves as well as our clients, we began to study the issue a few years ago. We have applied our tremendous knowledge and expertise regarding Internet infrastructure and networking, security, and web user behavior to develop a sophisticated data collection system that will assist us greatly in our analysis of this problem, and assist our thousands of clients who spend significantly on PPC advertising” said Darren G. King, President and CEO of Hosting.com.

PPC fraud occurs when a person (or type of software) deceptively clicks on a company’s paid online advertising links with the intent of driving up PPC advertising costs. In recent months, the practice has been getting increased media attention as large search engines such as Google and Yahoo have been battling lawsuits with customers claiming that they were overcharged for fraudulent clicks.

“The fact of the matter is that the click fraud issue has begun to generate a lot of press in recent months, but we’re confident that no one really knows the true nature and extent of the problem because no one has studied the issue to the extent we envision – reviewing data from billions of web visitors, advertisers, publishers, and search engines – nor has anyone developed the complex technological systems that we have created to capture and detect traffic anomalies” continued King. “We believe the media has exaggerated the problem for some search engines and greatly underreported the problem for others, and the majority of solutions on the marketplace that currently exist are myopic in scope.”

Hosting.com is currently accepting participants interested in being a part of its PPC fraud study. Heavy spenders on PPC advertising, including media and e-commerce companies, may join Hosting.com’s trial at no cost to the participants and enjoy the benefits of the Company’s proprietary click fraud technology built for enterprises. Interested parties should visit http://labs.hosting.com for more information.

About Hosting.com
Since 1996, HOSTING.com, the First Name in Hosting, has provided award-winning managed hosting services to a global customer base demanding a high level of security, reliability and responsiveness. Hosting.com provides Microsoft Hosting, Linux Hosting, MacroMedia Hosting and Application Hosting, including Microsoft Exchange Hosting. Known for its personalized and proactive approach to service, Hosting.com employs teams of industry experts who monitor, maintain and enhance the web-based data interests of small, medium and enterprise businesses. Hosting.com is the first source for all web hosting needs: from standard configurations to highly customized solutions built with the help of an expansive network of trusted affiliates and technology partners. For more information, please visit www.hosting.com.