Banner Ad Scare Has Businesses Looking Elsewhere For Web Traffic

InfoSearch Media shares options businesses can try to offset banner ad risks

A recent article on CNN.com reports about an online warning issued by the FBI advising users not to click on banner ads and to beware of viruses, malware, and bots that take over your computer. As this is an integral part of Internet marketing and given that I used to sell banner ad units for major radio station Web sites in Los Angeles, I find this particularly alarming, considering that the article references some highly trusted sites like newspaper and mainstream media outlets.

This latest warning is one more reason many businesses are looking for a more reliable means of driving website traffic, such as through search engine optimized web content and articles, that build search engine visibility through trusted organic listings, and through greater security measures.

The banner ad market is one that has ballooned over the years into a billion dollar industry. It's big business, even while delivering low quality clicks and smaller amounts of traffic. This is a big blow to banner ad marketers and publishers demanding CPM rates, and I think we have yet to see the fallout of this. Its been long known that banners from sites not known as credible sources could cause harm to your computer, even credible sites used vicious advertising methods in the past with annoying pop ups that never seemed to stop or go away.

But here, we're talking about something different -- banner ads served up on some of the most trusted sites around like newspaper websites and other media outlets and by trusted companies based in the US like DoubleClick. Over the years we have all become comfortable with banner ads on newspaper websites and trusted sources as well as the notion that publishers need to make a profit. The pop ups disappeared with better Web browsers and by implementing some advertising best-practices guidelines and ethics.

Underneath the surface banners that we see on a daily basis are sold and resold, in remnant banner ad markets around the world at discounted rates to whoever wants to buy the traffic or impressions, usually on a CPM (cost per thousand) basis. DoubleClick urged publishers to pay close attention to new banner business, but now the harm has been done, and the FBI is stating that over 2.5 million computers could have been infected. The FBI warning recommended that everyone click with caution even from trusted sites.

Hackers have identified the banner ad market as an easy and legitimate way to deliver malware and viruses. It's the perfect delivery method to hide code and implant bots to take a user from a trusted source, re-direct them, and infect the computer. By the time a user notices a problem it's too late. The computer is infected. And in some cases, users are not even aware that they may have bots hiding on their computers.

InfoSearch Media suggests looking into organic means to increase web traffic to your site during this banner ad security threat:

• Install a trusted virus and spyware removal program on your site, and update often
• Use a firewall
• Use only trusted banner ad vendors an even then, do your homework
• Enhance your Internet marketing strategy with more organic traffic sources

• Start with a free website review of your site to assess your site's level of search engine optimization (many vendors do this for free, including InfoSearch Media)
• Perform a full SEO diagnostic, and optimization of your sites website content
• Add new search engine optimized online text and articles to your site
• Optimize your current website content to enhance it's performance
• Consider increasing your online visibility through directory submissions

Although Google has washed out many of the potentially bad sites and suspected pages, the best place to find a product or service is the natural organic listings. But if you do see an enticing banner ad touting some special price, use caution when clicking. I recommend doing a search to find the source or authority on the product or service through organic listings first. If it's a legitimate offer, the same promotion will likely be on some other trusted site.

Remember that saying: "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is".

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Author, Jon Gursha, Search Traffic Executive for InfoSearch Media, Inc., specializes in helping businesses increase website traffic through quality search-targeted Web Content. Find out how informative Web content can increase website traffic to your site with a free competitive site analysis that makes recommendations on how to dominate your particular online market segment. Or, for more information, visit http://www.infosearchmedia.com.