Ad hiding refers to a deceptive practice where malicious actors deliberately conceal or mask advertisements while still registering fake clicks or impressions. This technique is a form of ad fraud that costs advertisers money without delivering real value.
How ad hiding works
Fraudsters use various technical methods to hide ads from real users while ensuring the ad network still records the impression. They might make ads invisible, place them off-screen, or use ad stacking on top of each other.
Some common techniques include:
- Setting CSS properties to make ads invisible
- Placing ads in 1x1 pixel containers
- Positioning ads outside the viewable area
- Stacking multiple ads in the same space
- Using code to hide ads after they load
Why fraudsters hide ads
The main goal is to generate impression fraud or clicks while avoiding detection. By hiding ads, fraudsters can create artificial traffic without real users noticing anything unusual on the page.
This allows them to scale their fraud operations more effectively. They can place many hidden ads on a single page without disrupting the user experience.
Impact on advertisers
Ad hiding directly affects advertising budgets by wasting spend on unseen impressions. Advertisers pay for these hidden placements but receive no actual brand exposure or chance of engagement.
The practice also skews performance metrics and makes it harder to measure real campaign effectiveness. This can lead to poor optimization decisions based on false data.
How to protect against ad hiding
Advertisers can take several steps to defend against ad hiding fraud:
- Use verification services that check ad visibility
- Monitor viewability metrics closely
- Work with trusted publishing partners
- Implement fraud detection solutions
- Regularly audit campaign placements
