Formulating standard click measurement guidelines is the mandate of an industry-wide working group assembled by the New York-based Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and Media Rating Council (MRC). On board so far are Ask.com, Google, LookSmart, Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo!
The idea is to come up with a detailed definition of what constitutes a valid online click, and also to outline an industry-driven auditing and certification recommendation for search engines, ad networks, third-party ad servers and any other company that counts clicks as part of its performance-based marketing.
A full copy of IAB’s previous metric rules, Global Measurement Ad Impression Guidelines, can be found at www.iab.net/standards/measurement.asp.
