Case Study · Fintech

How Papernest Improved Its ROAS in Google by Preventing Click Fraud

Discover how one of the fastest-growing European companies boosted its paid media investments in Google Ads after successfully preventing fake clicks.

1.9% ROAS Improvement
3% Conversion Rate Boost
€14K Monthly Savings
0.5% Invalid Conversion Rate

The Client

Papernest: Simplifying Contract & Utility Management

Papernest is a French company founded in 2015 that makes contract and utility management simple for consumers across Europe. From energy and internet subscriptions to insurance, Papernest helps users manage and switch providers effortlessly — all from a single platform.

With over 1 million customers across Europe and more than 10,000 partners, Papernest’s growth relies heavily on the efficiency of their lead acquisition. Google Ads is one of their key acquisition channels — powerful and cost-effective, but vulnerable to invalid traffic from bad bots, malware, and other threats.

Founded 2015 — one of Europe’s fastest-growing fintech companies
1M+ customers across Europe, 10,000+ partners
FrenchTech120 member — recognised among France’s top growth-stage tech companies

The Context

Growth Depends on Quality Leads

Papernest’s growth relies on the efficiency of their lead acquisition. Their sales and growth plans only run smoothly if PPC generates quality leads — but some of their Google Ads budget was being directed to invalid traffic.

Lead Quality at Stake

Sales and growth plans only run smoothly if PPC generates quality leads. Invalid traffic was undermining the very foundation of Papernest’s acquisition engine.

Budget Leaking to Invalid Traffic

Some of their Google Ads investment was being consumed by bad bots, malware, and other threats — draining budget that should have been reaching real prospects.

Acquisition Efficiency

Google Ads is a powerful and cost-effective channel, but its full potential could only be realised by ensuring every euro was invested in reaching genuine customers.

The Challenge

Click Fraud Was Eroding Campaign Performance

Papernest’s Paid Media team was putting significant time, effort, and money into crafting perfect Google Ads campaigns — from keywords and ad copy to landing pages. But they uncovered a hidden problem.

Undetected Click Fraud

The team discovered that a significant portion of their Google Ads traffic was invalid — budget was being wasted on fraudulent clicks that went undetected without a dedicated tool.

Performance Impact

The team realised their overall campaign performance could be affected by click fraud. Despite meticulous campaign crafting, fraudulent clicks were silently skewing results.

Need to Investigate

Papernest decided to investigate click fraud thoroughly to ensure their investments were performing as expected and every euro was reaching genuine prospects.

The Decision

Why Papernest Chose Opticks

Papernest compared several solutions — including PPC specialists and generic fraud providers — before selecting Opticks for two compelling reasons.

Personalised, Human Collaboration

High fit with Opticks’ approach — personalised and human collaboration with individual support from a dedicated ad fraud specialist. The team felt right with Opticks from the start.

Deep Click Fraud Expertise

Strong expertise and extensive experience specifically in click fraud detection and prevention. Opticks’ specialised knowledge gave Papernest the confidence that their investment would be protected.

““After comparing different options, we chose Opticks mainly because of the fit with their approach. We felt right with Opticks and had the right level of support when needed.””

Giacomo Teodori — Head of Performance Marketing, Papernest

The Solution

How Opticks Protects Papernest’s Ad Spend

Opticks gave Papernest the tools to automatically detect, block, and prevent click fraud — ensuring their Google Ads budget is invested only in legitimate leads.

  1. 1

    Blacklist Fraudulent Audiences

    Automatic exclusion of fraudulent audiences in Google. Fraudulent IPs are blocked automatically, preventing fake clicks before they consume budget.

  2. 2

    Block Invalid Clicks

    Invest ad spend more efficiently with a dashboard that helps compare fraud rates per campaign, keyword, and geography — giving the team full visibility into where fraud originates.

  3. 3

    Acquire More Valid Leads

    Ad spend is only invested in legitimate leads. By blocking invalid traffic, Papernest saves €14,000 per month and frees up time for the sales team to focus on real prospects.

““What is key for us is the Automated Blacklisting. Everything is done automatically so that we don’t have to do any manual detection or blacklisting on our end.””

Giacomo Teodori — Head of Performance Marketing, Papernest

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The Results

Measurable Impact on ROAS and Conversions

1.9% ROAS Improvement Return on ad spend uplift
3% Conversion Rate Boost More leads from same budget
€14K Monthly Savings Blocking invalid traffic
0.5% Invalid Conversion Rate Down from 4%

Invalid conversions reduced from 4% to just 0.5%, and invalid click rate decreased from 4% to 1%. Papernest now invests with confidence, knowing their budget reaches real customers.

Improved ROAS by 1.9% through elimination of wasted spend on fraudulent clicks.
Boosted conversion rates by 3% by ensuring only legitimate leads enter the funnel.
Saved €14,000 per month by automatically blocking invalid traffic and fraudulent IPs.
Freed up sales team time to focus on genuine prospects instead of processing invalid leads.

Deep Dive

Evolution of Invalid Traffic (Mar–Nov 2022)

Invalid Conversions

Reduced invalid conversions from 4% to 0.5%

Invalid Clicks (Global)

Decreased invalid click rate from 4% to 1%

What They Said

Trusted by Papernest’s Performance Team

“I would clearly recommend Opticks. The team is available when needed and collaborative. We particularly appreciate their ability to accommodate to our needs.”

GT
Giacomo Teodori Head of Performance Marketing, Papernest

The Impact

From Investigation to Essential Tool

What began as an investigation into click fraud became an indispensable part of Papernest’s paid media stack. Opticks now runs continuously, protecting every euro of Google Ads investment.

ROAS improved by 1.9%. Every euro of ad spend now works harder, reaching genuine prospects instead of fraudulent clicks.
Automated blacklisting eliminates manual work. Fraudulent IPs are blocked automatically, saving the Paid Media team hours of manual effort.
Lead quality increased at the source. Invalid conversion rate dropped from 4% to 0.5%, meaning the sales team processes far fewer dead-end leads.
€14,000 saved every month. Budget previously lost to invalid traffic now fuels growth and genuine customer acquisition.
Campaign-level fraud visibility. Dashboard enables comparison of fraud rates per campaign, keyword, and geography for smarter optimisation.

Beyond Fintech

Click Fraud Affects Every Industry on Google Ads

Fraudulent clicks inflating CPAs, polluting lead data, and draining budgets — these patterns are consistent across every industry running paid search advertising. How much of your Google Ads budget is reaching real customers?

Fintech
Lead Generation
E-Commerce
SaaS
Insurance
Agencies

Frequently Asked Questions

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Stop Losing Budget to Fake Clicks

Papernest reduced invalid conversions from 4% to 0.5% and saves €14,000 every month. See how much of your ad spend is going to click fraud — and recover it.

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