URLs and landing page policies

These URLs and landing pages policies will help you with acceptable URLs and the kind of behavior users should expect when they trigger your ad. URLs should accurately describe your ad’s landing page, for example. Also, landing pages should load and function as normally expected — disruptive or deceptive content is not allowed.

URL types

• Display URL: The web page address that appears in your ad text.
• Final URL: The upgraded version of the URL address of the page on your website that people reach when they click your ad from a desktop or laptop.
• Tracking URL: The address that enables you to track performance.
• Landing page URL: The address of the final web page where users end up after clicking an ad. 

The final URL must work properly and resolve to a single working website. It cannot connect to an email address or a file, or result in a page with a 404 or other 4xx status code. The Microsoft Advertising crawler should not be blocked by your website. Additionally, non-standard characters and IP addresses are disallowed.

• The final URL determines the display URL; however, relevant content subfolders can be added.
• Display URLs in a single ad group must use the same top-level URL domain. For example, your ad group can feature display URLs with multiple folders – such as Microsoft.com/Office and Microsoft.com/Skype – but it may not feature multiple display URLs with different top-level domains – such as Microsoft.com and Contoso.com.

• The display URL must match the landing page URL
• If a tracking template is used to redirect the user, the landing page URL domain and content must match the final URL domain and content.

Limited to the following circumstances, non-matching display and landing page URLs are acceptable.

• Tracking URLs used for legitimate tracking purposes with redirects. Final URLs with redirects not matching the display URLs are acceptable provided that the top level domain of the display URL and the top level domain of the landing page URL match.

Approved

Display URL: www.Contoso.com
Final URL: contosotracking.com/…
Landing Page URL: www.Contoso.com

• Descriptive deeplinks. Subdomains or folders can be used in the display URL for descriptive purposes that do not match the subdomain or folders of the landing page URL provided that the top level domain match, and that the subdomain or folder adequately describes the portion of your site users will land.

Approved

Display URL: www.Contoso.com/shoe
Final URL: contoso.com/search?p=shoes…
Landing Page URL: contoso.com/search?p=shoes...

• Hosting sites. You may be allowed to use a descriptive display URL that does not match the landing page URL for hosted domains. If you believe you have a legitimate use case fitting in this category, you may appeal the rejection.

Approved

Display URL: www.Contoso.com
Final URL: contoso2.hosted-domain.com
Landing Page URL: contoso2.hosted-domain.com

• Brand considerations. You may be allowed to use a display URL that does not match the landing page URL for brand consideration purposes. For example, a well-recognised product brand can be used as display URL to direct users to the generic sale portal of the product owner. If you believe you have a legitimate use case fitting in this category, you may appeal the rejection.

Approved

Display URL: office.microsoft.com
Final URL: products.office.com/?office...
Landing Page URL: products.office.com/?office...

Display URLs and final URLs may only be in Latin, ASCII characters and must not contain accents or diacritics. Display URLs and final URLs with non-Latin characters — such as Chinese or Russian characters, for example — and Latin characters with accents and diacritics — such as http://contosé.com, for example — will be rejected.

• Your landing page must be available and reliably responsive even at peak use times.
• Your final URL must resolve to a single static landing page; it may not take search users to a different page on the site each time the ad is clicked.
• Use a landing page that you own or control, or that you are authorised to represent or send traffic to.

Read the relevance and quality policies for additional information about landing pages and creating high-quality experiences with them.

• The Back button on the landing page must be functional and allow users to return to the previous webpage.
• The landing page must not:
  • Generate any disruptive pop-ups or pop-unders. Please note that functionalities that are part of the site’s expected experience or otherwise non-intrusive or user initiated, such as an age verification or log-in for example, would be acceptable.
  • Spawn multiple pop-ups or any pop-up that prevents visitors from leaving the site.
  • 
  • Open any additional windows.
  • Mislead the user with "fake" dialog boxes or browser windows.
  • Be designed to look broken or simulate a non-working webpage in any way.
  • Use "fake" close behavior. For example, when a user clicks a "close" button on the page, it should close that page, and no other behavior should result:

        
For additional policies about site behavior and navigation, see the relevance and quality policies.