Introduction:
Academic integrity is a basis of higher education, yet it faces persistent challenges from practices like contract cheating, which undermines ethical standards and educational equity (Comas et al., 2021). Contract cheating platforms facilitate academic fraud by offering services such as essay writing and dissertation preparation (Lancaster and Salasevicius, 2023). This study addresses the digital marketing strategies of these platforms, focusing on their online visibility and user engagement through search engine traffic.

Methodology:
Using SEMrush, a search engine optimization and marketing analytics tool, we analysed the web traffic of 63 Spanish contract cheating websites from 2019 to 2024. Metrics such as organic traffic, referral sources, and demographic characteristics of users were examined. A content analysis of the websites and their advertisements complemented the traffic data, providing a qualitative and quantitative understanding of their marketing approaches. Data reliability was ensured through cross-referenced sources and systematic coding.

Results:
The results reveal a significant increase in organic traffic to these websites, particularly between 2021 and 2023, coinciding with the growing use of digital learning platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Organic search accounted for 53.31% of traffic, indicating that most users discover these platforms through search engines. Demographic analysis shows a predominance of young users (35.71% aged 18–24), with a nearly equal gender distribution (60% women, 40% men). Websites primarily target university students (46.94%) and postgraduates (42.62%). Their marketing emphasizes affordability, confidentiality, and originality, often guaranteeing work free from plagiarism. However, ethical concerns arise from their obvious promotion of academic dishonesty.

Conclusion and discussion:
The findings underline the urgent need for regulatory measures to curb the influence of contract cheating platforms. Legal frameworks, institutional policies, and awareness campaigns should be developed to combat this issue. This study contributes to understanding the digital strategies of these platforms and highlights the role of search engines in facilitating access to such services. Future research should explore interventions to disrupt their operations and promote a culture of academic integrity in higher education.

Acknowledgement:
Article elaborated within the framework of the project PID2022-141031NB-I00, funded by MICIU/AEI /10.13039/501100011033/ and by ERDF A way of making Europe.

References:
[1] Comas-Forgas, R., Sureda-Negre, J., & Morey-Lopez, M. (2021). Spanish contract cheating website marketing through search engine advertisements. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 46(7), 1035-1047. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2020.1841091
[2] Lancaster, T. E., & Salasevicius, M. (2023). Una comparación internacional de la industria de la compra-venta de trabajos académicos. RELIEVE. Revista Electrónica de Investigación y Evaluación Educativa, 29(2), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.30827/relieve.v29i2.29227

Keywords: Academic integrity, ethics, contract cheating.