Landing page scanner
Landing page scanner: see what happens after the click
An ad can look clean while the page behind it is not. GoAdScanner follows every click and redirect to the final landing page and records what that page does in a real browser.
Why the landing page matters
Most of the harm happens after the click. The ad itself often only loads a script or shows a harmless image. The click then hops through several redirects on several domains, and the visitor ends up on a fake prize page, a fake virus warning or a page that asks for push permission.
Scanning the creative alone misses all of that. GoAdScanner records every step: each page, redirect and request, and every domain they contact, from the ad to the final landing page.
Three ways in
- Ad Scan renders the creative (an ad tag URL or HTML) the way a site shows it and records what it does, then clicks it and scans the landing page, with its own click screenshot and findings.
- URL Scan opens a link as a full page and follows it through every redirect to the final landing page. Use it for pop, redirect and push links.
- VAST Scan loads a VAST tag and follows the wrapper chain to the media file and the click-through, and checks what they call.
Each item you scan can carry a Referrer: the site the scanner pretends the visitor came from. Many landing pages behave differently per site, so enter the page the ad really runs on.
What a landing page scan reports
- Forced redirects: the page breaks out and sends the visitor somewhere else.
- Pop-ups, push-permission prompts and browser alert dialogs.
- Crypto miners and background workers started by scripts.
- Suspicious DOM: hidden content, or frames and elements covering the page, typical of click hijacking.
- Permission requests for location, camera or microphone.
- Malicious domains anywhere in the chain, checked against a malware domain list, a domain-reputation service and Google Safe Browsing.
The report’s Full Scan Results show the whole tree of pages, redirects, requests and cookies. Branches that contain a flagged domain open by themselves, so you see at once whether the bad domain sits in the ad itself or only on the landing page after the click. When a cookie or age overlay blocks the page, the scanner closes it so the content behind it can load, and notes that in the report.
More in the manual: Reading scan reports.
The ads on the landing page, scanned too
A clean ad can still send your visitor to a page full of bad ones. Switch on Scan Landing Page Ads and the scanner does not stop at the landing page: it scrolls down the page, starts its video player so a pre-roll shows up, clicks up to Max Landing Ad Scans of the ads it finds (1 to 10, default 5) and scans where each one leads.
Each of those ads gets its own entry in the report under Landing Page Ads: its creative, its click destination and the events there, with a link to its complete scan. Every ad scanned this way adds to the work of the scan, so keep the number low on tasks that run often.
How to set it up
- Open Ad Scanner → Tasks and click New Task. Choose URL Scan for a link, Ad Scan for a creative or VAST Scan for a video tag.
- Save the task, then add your links or tags on the Manual Items tab, with the real Referrer (and for an Ad Scan the size the ad is shown at).
- Pick the devices and browsers, and switch on Location Proxy with your visitors’ countries.
- Under Advanced detection, switch on Suspicious DOM Detection and, if you want, Scan Landing Page Ads.
- Switch on Notify me about this task to hear about serious findings.
Landing pages of RTB wins, where no tag exists to scan, are covered under RTB ad quality. For the bigger picture see the malvertising scanner and how GoAdScanner works.
More in the manual: Setting up scan tasks · Ad Scanner overview.
Frequently asked questions
What is a redirect chain?
The series of addresses an ad or link passes through before the visitor sees the final page. GoAdScanner records every step of it and checks every domain in it.
Can it scan pop, redirect and push links?
Yes, with a URL Scan. Publishers can also let a Smart Zones task pick up their pop, redirect, push, full-page, tab, mail-click and skin zones automatically.
Why does a landing page scan clean while visitors still complain?
Many landing pages show their harmful version only to some countries, devices or referring sites. Scan from the visitor’s country, add more browser profiles and enter the real referrer.
How much does it cost?
GoAdScanner is a module of the GoAdserver platform, not a separate subscription. Scans and proxy bandwidth count as usage on your platform. See how to get GoAdScanner.
Keep bad ads off your traffic
GoAdScanner is part of GoAdserver. Tell us what you want to scan and we switch it on for your platform, or read the full manual first.