Spoof health sites make use of search marketing
Internet Marketing
20 February 2009
Spoof websites set up by the government to raise awareness of the proliferation of scam health and weight loss websites on the internet are being supported with search engine marketing campaigns.
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has set up two websites - one claiming to offer a fat-busting product that works during sleep and the other selling a 'cure' for diabetes - and has employed search engine optimisation and paid search ads to advertise them.
It has also turned to display ads in the form of banners to drive traffic to the sites, from which products cannot actually be purchased.
Scam health and weight loss sites result in the loss of £20 million by consumers every year, according to the OFT.
Mike Haley of the OFT stated: "Miracle health scams target vulnerable people who are desperate to lose weight or find a cure.
"The products are often worthless and can even be dangerous with untested and potentially harmful ingredients."
Meanwhile, European organisations are likely to spend more on search marketing this year as the recession forces businesses to rethink the accountability of their campaigns, according to a recent Forrester Research forecast.
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