The Client 💻
This B2B SaaS brand provides developer-first application security tools that help software teams quickly find, fix, and prevent vulnerabilities. Operating in the cybersecurity and software development space, the client had recently scaled up paid media to drive inbound leads and free trial signups. Despite strong click-through rates, performance metrics began to stall—suggesting deeper issues with traffic quality.
Industry: Cybersecurity / Software Development / SaaS
Where We Started 📍
The client had a healthy flow of paid traffic, but back-end data showed high bounce rates, low conversion volume, and a worrying number of repeat visits from non-converting users. Branded campaigns were particularly affected. Suspecting ad fraud, the client needed a solution to safeguard their ad spend and improve campaign efficiency—without compromising scale.
The Challenge 🤔
🚩 Suspected click fraud across branded and search campaigns was skewing performance data
💸 Wasted ad spend on non-human or low-quality traffic
📉 Declining lead quality despite consistent CTRs
📊 Inaccurate conversion data made it difficult to optimise and scale campaigns
⏳ Limited visibility into which traffic sources were underperforming due to invalid activity
The goal: Clean up the traffic, regain trust in the data, and protect paid media investment.
ScaledOn’s Strategy and Execution 🧠
To solve the issue, we deployed a targeted ad fraud prevention strategy:
🔐 ClickCease Implementation
- Installed ClickCease across the client’s Google Ads account
- Configured real-time protection to block known bot IPs, click farms, and repetitive invalid traffic
- Tailored protection rules across branded and non-branded campaigns to avoid overblocking
⚙️ Weekly Refinement
- Reviewed blocked IPs and click patterns weekly
- Adjusted thresholds based on campaign behaviour to maintain reach while cutting fraud
- Created GA4 segments for “clean” vs. “suspicious” traffic for clearer post-click insights
📉 Data Feedback Loops
- Integrated ClickCease reporting into campaign dashboards
- Used improved attribution to refine bidding strategies and landing page targeting
What Went Well ✅
✅ Implementation was smooth, with no disruption to live campaigns
✅ Cleaner traffic began to show immediate lift in on-site engagement
✅ Cost savings exceeded expectations, with 43% of ad spend protected
✅ Attribution became more reliable, improving optimisation decisions
What We Learned 💡
⚠️ Initially broad protection rules were refined to preserve reach on top-funnel campaigns
⚠️ Some early false positives required tweaks to custom filters, which were resolved in week two
The Key Results 🙌
💰 $9,607 in Ad Spend Saved in just 3 months
🚫 1,697 Fraudulent IPs Blocked
📊 43% of Total Ad Spend Protected ($9.6K saved from $22K spent)
🧼 19% Cleaner Traffic quality based on on-site metrics
🖱️ 2,801 Invalid Clicks Prevented
📈 Improved Data Accuracy leading to better bidding and targeting
