HTTPS and JavaScript work at different layers of a website. When comparing HTTPS vs JavaScript cloaking, it helps to remember that HTTPS encrypts the information exchanged between a browser and a website server, while JavaScript lets a website perform interactive tasks in a visitor's browser.
1. How HTTPS and JavaScript Affect Advertising Security
Neither HTTPS nor JavaScript can single-handedly secure the ads placed on a website. A combination of the two can help advertisers solve certain challenges.
2. What to Expect from HTTPS Cloaking and JavaScript
Advertisers need to look beyond HTTPS cloaking to find solutions to the following problems using JavaScript.
Redundant automation activities (click farms, botnets, etc.), persistent auto-refresh, misleading targeted visits, unexpected redirects, and violations of policies including Terms of Service (ToS) and/or Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) are all challenges that advertisers face in the digital economy. To alleviate problems posed by these challenges, a combination of HTTPS cloaking and JavaScript is a better approach.
While there are advertising challenges that can be solved by combining HTTPS and JavaScript, other challenges make it nearly impossible for one of the technologies to serve all the needs of a campaign manager or a media buyer. For this reason, many technologies can be successfully integrated and used alongside HTTPS and JavaScript.
Finally, because the use of HTTPS cloaking and JavaScript is widespread in advertising, issues that seem to align with either can be misleading and decrease campaign performance.
3. Case Study of HTTPS Cloaking
In many cases, understanding how HTTPS cloaking and JavaScript can help advertisers can be more effective than analyzing a specific case study. Often, campaigns that focus only on one or the other technology typically experience a negative performance impact. This is especially true for large, complex campaigns.
For advertising websites, HTTPS is essential for situations where visitors:
- Complete registration or contact form submissions.
- Create or log into an account.
- Complete an online purchase.
- View personalised information or content.
- See landing pages without security warnings.
A valid TLS certificate is just one of the many factors of a secure website. Advertisers should also maintain up-to-date software, secure their server, and limit access to the site.
HTTPS and JavaScript: Understanding Their Differences
HTTPS and JavaScript are different in purpose. HTTPS is required to provide a secure connection. JavaScript is used to control the behaviour of a webpage. Neither should be used solely to prevent advertising fraud.
Here is what each is generally used for.
Which One Should Advertisers Prioritise?
When running paid campaigns, HTTPS should be prioritised first. All landing pages should have a secure connection to avoid browser security warnings and to safeguard users' data.
Next, JavaScript should be incorporated based on site requirements. For instance, an e-commerce advertiser would need HTTPS to safeguard payment information on checkout pages and JavaScript for features like filters and product updates.
There is no reason to believe these two technologies are competing for the same space.
Before launching campaigns, advertisers should check:
- The status of the SSL Certificate.
- HTTP-to-HTTPS redirection.
- Landing page load behaviour.
- Unnecessary or unrelated JavaScript.
- Convergence of the promoted content and the destination page.
4. Why Ad Campaigns Need More Than Website Encryption
Using encryption for a website doesn’t block all of the bad traffic. Advertisers can still see automated requests and other suspicious activity through an HTTPS site. Traffic analysis is needed to understand what’s going on after a visitor arrives.
This is especially important for advertisers using Google Ads or any other similar service to drive paid traffic.
Imagine running a campaign where your daily goal is to get 2,000 clicks. At first, you may think the campaign is doing well. However, if the visitors don’t engage with your site or make purchases, you’ve got a problem. In this case, you need to take a closer look at the traffic to determine the quality.
Some things to evaluate include:
- Big spikes in clicks with no big spikes in conversions.
- Visitors with nearly identical, abnormal sessions.
- High click numbers with extremely low engagement.
- Big differences in reports from your advertising platform and website analytics.
These things don’t confirm there is click fraud, but they can be used to justify an investigation.
Using TrafficSaviour for Traffic Monitoring
Advertisers wanting additional traffic monitoring can use TrafficSaviour traffic protection during their campaign management.
The goal of traffic protection is to look at the quality of traffic instead of just the quantity.
Some good monitoring practices include:
- Look at the activity of the visitors.
- Look for unusual and repetitive visit patterns.
- Look for suspicious and automated visits.
- Look for big differences between your advertising platform reports and your website analytics.
- Compare click data to actual user engagement.
- Review the activity that raises a brow before making a filtering decision.
TrafficSaviour bot detection is another bot detection solution that is also of interest to advertisers impacted by automated activities.
Bot detection can help to define traffic patterns that warrant further analysis. Accuracy is heavily reliant on the signal, rules, and technology being used. Anomalous browsing behavior should not cause a visitor to be classified as a bot.
TrafficSaviour click protection can be of interest when exploring solutions to monitor suspect advertising interactions and help mitigate the risks of invalid clicks.
5. Setting Up a More Protected Advertising Environment with the Right Tools
An effective advertising environment consists of multiple complementary elements. JavaScript helps support websites, and various other tools and mechanisms assist advertisers with traffic monitoring. In the context of ad fraud prevention, an integrated and complementary approach can be more beneficial than relying on a single solution.
When readying a campaign, there are a number of areas to review.
Protect Landing Pages
Start with the website. Ensure that all important website pages are loaded securely over HTTPS, and that no unnecessary and/or untrusted page redirects exist.
Additionally:
- Keep all web applications and website software up-to-date.
- Remove unneeded and outdated scripts and integrations.
- Evaluate external tracking integrations.
- Conduct usability testing for landing pages.
- Protect sensitive user information and forms.
A TrafficSaviour cloaker bcould potentially be part of a more extensive evaluation of solutions for handling traffic. The way specific functionalities are implemented and how filtering rules and advertising policies are defined should be evaluated in detail prior to implementing such a solution.
A compliant setting should ensure that the destination advertised is consistent with what is experienced by a visitor to the site. Other forms of personalisation, including device customisation and choice of language, should not be confused with deceptive content switching.
Keep Campaign Data Under Review
It is critical that advertisers regularly monitor campaign data even in the presence of security controls.
Advertisers should compare:
- Total advertising clicks.
- Actual website sessions.
- Conversion rates.
- Traffic sources and referrals.
- Unusual changes in visitor behaviour.
There may be latent issues with campaign performance that may become evident through an analysis of the above data.
It should also be considered that absolute protection against invalid interactions cannot be guaranteed by any traffic protection product. Advertisers should continue using the reporting and invalid click processes that are available within their advertising platform.
Conclusion
The right balance between the use of JavaScript and HTTPS can better serve campaign security and website security needs. JavaScript can enhance functionalities that users may need while using secure connections to protect the integrity and privacy of data.
Maintaining a landing page is the main concern for paid campaigns. While it is important to control traffic to the landing page and reduce unproductive and suspicious interactions, it is equally important to facilitate productive and legitimate interactions to improve conversion.
Instead of trusting cloaking solely, look into understanding your incoming traffic, analyse your campaign data, and make sure you are compliant with your advertising policies.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the difference between HTTPS cloaking and JavaScript cloaking?
HTTPS provides a secure connection between a web browser and a web server. JavaScript cloaking uses browser-side scripts to alter the way a web page is presented or how it is navigated. So, these functions are different.
2. Can HTTPS cloaking block bot traffic?
No, HTTPS only provides a secure connection. Automated traffic has to be analyzed separately to determine the type of activity that may be suspicious.
3. Is JavaScript cloaking safe for paid advertising?
A lot of the functionality of JavaScript is used commonly, so it isn't really a concern; however, practices that show different things to reviewers are clearly deceptive and violate advertising policies
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