ClickCease Protection for Microsoft Ads

Overview

ClickCease provides click fraud protection for Google Ads and Facebook Ads out of the box, but Microsoft Ads requires a separate, manual configuration step. Without it, Microsoft Ads campaigns are completely unprotected — a gap that can result in high volumes of spam calls and fraudulent form submissions going undetected.

This was discovered when a client's new Microsoft Ads campaign generated ~150 calls for ~$300 ($2/call), the majority of which were spam. ClickCease had been running successfully for Google Ads (saving ~$115/month in fraudulent clicks) but had never been configured for the Microsoft Ads account.

How Microsoft Ads Protection Works

Unlike Google Ads, where ClickCease integrates at the account level, Microsoft Ads protection requires two steps:

Add the ClickCease tracking script to all pages used as Microsoft Ads landing pages.
Enable auto-tagging in the Microsoft Ads account settings so ClickCease can associate clicks with the tracking data.

Without both steps in place, ClickCease will show "no traffic" for Microsoft Ads even if campaigns are actively running.

Configuration Steps

1. Access the ClickCease Account

Log in via team@asymmetric.pro (credentials in LastPass).
Navigate to the client's domain/account within ClickCease.

2. Add the Tracking Script

In ClickCease, locate the tracking code for the client's account.
Install the script on all pages that Microsoft Ads campaigns point to (typically via the site's tag manager or directly in the WordPress theme/plugin).
Alternatively, use the ClickCease WordPress plugin if the site is on WordPress — note that this plugin can sometimes suppress legitimate traffic, so evaluate on a per-site basis.

3. Enable Auto-Tagging in Microsoft Ads

In the Microsoft Ads account, go to Account Settings.
Enable auto-tagging so click parameters are appended to destination URLs.
This allows ClickCease to read and act on Microsoft Ads click data.

4. Verify the Connection

After setup, return to ClickCease and confirm that Microsoft Ads traffic is appearing in the dashboard.
A status of "data is on the way" may appear briefly; if it persists without data, recheck the tracking script installation and auto-tagging setting.

Detection Rules to Review

Once connected, review the standard detection rules for the Microsoft Ads account:

Rule	Notes
Over threshold (repeat clicks)	Set max clicks per IP per time window
VPN blocking	Recommended on by default
Country blocking	Configure if campaign is geo-targeted
Auto IP blocking	Set block duration (e.g., 30 days)

Notification Setup

ClickCease sends alert emails when fraud is detected. Ensure the right people are on the notification list:

Go to Settings → Notifications in ClickCease.
Add all relevant team members (e.g., both the ads manager and the account manager).

Complementary Spam Mitigation for Calls

ClickCease handles click fraud at the ad level but does not filter inbound phone calls. If a Microsoft Ads campaign is generating high call volume with significant spam, consider adding a CallRail IVR screen in front of the client's phone number:

Route the advertised number through CallRail.
Add a simple IVR prompt (e.g., "Press 1 for sales") — bots cannot navigate IVR menus.
Forward screened calls to the client's real number.

This adds minor friction for legitimate callers but is worthwhile when spam call volume is high. See ^[1] for setup details.

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