Why Microsoft Ads Are Disapproved and How to Fix Them

A disapproved ad in Microsoft Advertising is an ad, keyword, asset or extension that has failed editorial review against Microsoft’s advertising policies, so it will not serve in the locations where it was rejected. The cause usually sits in one of a few places, from the wording of the ad to the landing page or a restricted category such as healthcare or financial services. Clearing those problems quickly is a routine part of Microsoft Ads management for regulated businesses, where the policies are stricter and an exception request needs firmer evidence.

Each disapproval can be cleared in one of two ways. The ad can be changed so it meets the policy, or an exception can be requested when the ad already complies and the decision looks wrong. The sections below cover how the review works, what each status means, the most common reasons for disapproval and how to choose between fixing and challenging.

How Microsoft Advertising Reviews Ads

Microsoft Advertising reviews every ad component before it can run, including ad text, assets, keywords, ad extensions and ad customisers. An initial check compares each component with Microsoft’s policies, with components that raise no flags passing straight through and becoming active.

Anything flagged in that first check goes to an additional review, which can take several hours depending on how many reviews are waiting. Microsoft’s help page on the editorial review lists examples of what triggers it, such as a word with a double meaning that could read as offensive, a registered trademark in the ad or a keyword that is not yet in the editorial database. Microsoft says most reviews are completed within 48 hours and asks advertisers to contact Support if an item is still pending after two business days.

The review does not stop once an ad is live. Microsoft runs ongoing checks across its network, which means an ad or keyword that has served for months can still be disapproved later. Ads must also be written in the same language as the ad group language and market setting, which matters for campaigns that target several countries.

What Each Editorial Status Means

The delivery status shows whether an ad is running, waiting for review or blocked. It appears in the Delivery column of the Ads and Keywords tables, while assets such as headlines and images show a Policy status column under View asset details. Microsoft’s full list of delivery statuses also covers budget, targeting and billing, but the statuses below are the ones that relate to editorial review.

Approved limited needs a closer look, because the ad is running in some places and blocked or still pending in others. Microsoft explains that Approved limited comes from location targeting, since ads and keywords are reviewed against the policies that apply in each location separately. Hovering over the status shows the reason, the locations where the item was disapproved and the part of the submission that triggered the decision.

Finding the Reason for a Disapproval

The reason for a disapproval is shown in the account itself, next to the item that was rejected. Hover over the status in the Delivery column for ads and keywords, or open View asset details under an ad and read the Policy status column for headlines, descriptions and images. Adding a filter on Policy status set to Disapproved narrows a large account down to the assets that need attention.

Microsoft’s guide to fixing a Disapproved or Approved Limited status also explains how each decision was reached. The mode of detection shows whether the ad was flagged by Microsoft’s systems, by people who saw it or by a regulatory body through a legal order. The rejection itself is marked as System or Manual, depending on whether automated checks or a reviewer made the decision.

An email about a disapproval does not always match what the account shows later. Microsoft carries out spot checks on its editorial rejections and occasionally overturns them, while an Approved limited item may have cleared review in its remaining locations by the time the account is opened.

Common Reasons Microsoft Ads Are Disapproved

The reasons Microsoft Ads are disapproved fall into four broad groups, covering editorial style, ad language, landing page problems and restricted content. Microsoft’s general ad requirements set the editorial rules that every ad must follow, from capitalisation to symbols and prices.

Editorial problems are usually the quickest to clear because the change is limited to the ad text. Editing the ad and saving it sends it back for a new review, with no need for an exception request. Keywords work differently, because Microsoft does not allow a keyword to be edited, so a new keyword has to be added and the disapproved one deleted.

Landing Page and Destination Problems

An ad can be disapproved because of its landing page even when the ad text is fine, since Microsoft treats the ad destination as one of the components it reviews. Its policy on ad relevance and landing page quality requires ads to closely match the products, services or information on the landing page, as well as the general purpose of the website.

The final URL has to work properly and resolve to a single working website. Microsoft’s general requirements rule out final URLs that return a 404 or another 4xx error, connect to an email address or a file, or point to a website that blocks the Microsoft Advertising crawler. The final URL must also lead to one static landing page rather than a different page on each click. All URLs within an ad group must share the same base domain too.

The content of the page matters as much as whether it loads. The policy prohibits doorway pages, cloaking, unexpected redirects to unrelated domains, parked domains and pages with sparse content where a visitor would expect a range of products or information. Pages that ask for sensitive personal data the service does not need also break the policy, as do pages that send visitors straight to a login or registration form without links to the home page and the terms of service.

A landing page written for the ad that sits in front of it is far easier to keep within the relevance policy. The principles in designing PPC landing pages that convert cover how to match the headline and copy to the ad a visitor clicked.

Restricted Categories for Healthcare and Financial Services

Healthcare and financial services are restricted categories in Microsoft Advertising, which means ads are allowed but face extra rules, certification or verification before they can serve. Microsoft’s list of restricted content also includes legal services, government services, pricing and several other categories that UK B2B advertisers can run into. Legal services matter for the law firms covered in Microsoft Ads for professional services firms, where the policy for that category applies in addition to the general rules.

Healthcare advertisers have to follow the law in each region where their ads appear and hold current certifications or licences for each market. The healthcare and pharmaceutical ad policy requires health claims to be backed by credible scientific evidence, rules out statements that misrepresent regulatory approval and does not allow exaggerated before and after images. It also prohibits imagery that implies endorsement by healthcare professionals unless the endorsement is real and properly disclosed.

Pharmacy advertising has its own requirements. Online pharmacies, telemedicine providers that sell prescription drugs and prescription drug manufacturers must be preapproved before their ads can run on the Microsoft Advertising network. In the UK, online pharmacies must be registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council, whose public registers show whether a pharmacy is listed. Ad copy must not promote the sale of prescription only medicines, while homeopathic medicines that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has not approved cannot be advertised in the UK.

For healthcare providers advertising services rather than medicines, the main risks are unsupported claims and landing pages that do not back them up. Our guide to Microsoft Ads for healthcare providers covers how private and NHS services can use the platform to generate enquiries.

Financial services advertisers in the UK face an extra step before any ad can serve. Microsoft’s financial services policy states that any advertiser carrying out a regulated activity under the Financial Services and Markets Act must be authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority and complete UK financial services verification. The rule sits alongside section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, which stops a business communicating an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity unless it is authorised or the content has been approved by an authorised person.

Until UK financial services verification is complete, financial services ads targeting UK customers will not be served. The process starts from Account verifications under Settings and asks for business details, the FCA registration number and the domains used for advertising. Authorised firms need those details to match the entry on the FCA’s Financial Services Register, because any discrepancy can lead to a failed verification.

Microsoft says to expect a response within three to five business days. Once the review is finished, the Verifications page shows one of four statuses for the account.

• Verified advertiser, where all business details and domains are approved for financial services ads in the UK
• Partially verified, where ads can run on the approved domains but not on domains that failed or are still pending
• Verification pending, where no financial services ads can serve to people in the UK until the checks are finished
• Verification failed, where no domain passed and the details can be updated before applying again

Firms that do not promote financial services but target people looking for them, such as comparison websites, can apply as exempt advertisers instead. Each domain added after approval goes through its own verification, so new microsites need checking before any campaign points at them.

Approved financial ads still have to meet the creative rules set by regulators. Any inducement to invest must make clear that the value of investments can go down as well as up. An interest rate in the ad copy must be followed by the text “(typical APR)”, while ads must not promise guaranteed success.

Fixing the Ad or Requesting an Exception

Fix the ad when it breaks a policy and request an exception when it already complies or the policy does not apply to it. Microsoft’s help page on challenging a disapproval covers exceptions for ads, keywords, extensions, assets and disclaimers, each requested from the item’s status in the account.

Editing an ad, extension or disclaimer sends it for a fresh editorial review once the change is saved. Disapproved assets can be edited directly in the ad or asset group, or a new asset can be added and the old one removed. Ad customisers and disapproved asset groups are handled by contacting Support rather than through an exception request in the account.

An exception is a second look at the same content, so it only works when the original decision was wrong. If a component is disapproved a second time the decision is final, although Support can still be contacted where the advertiser strongly believes the decision is incorrect.

Repeated disapprovals carry a wider risk than a single paused ad. Microsoft’s page on what happens when an ad policy is violated describes a strikes system, with up to three strikes allowed within a policy category before the account is suspended. Appeals against a disapproval, a strike or a suspension go through Support within six months of the decision.

Preventing Disapprovals Before Launch

Many disapprovals can be avoided by checking ads and landing pages against the policies before campaigns go live. Ad text imported from Google Ads still has to pass Microsoft’s own editorial review, so imported campaigns are worth checking for capitalisation, symbols, prices and landing page URLs before they are switched on.

Regulated advertisers gain the most from doing the slow checks first. UK financial services verification and any pharmacy preapproval should be in place before launch, because ads in those categories will not serve until they are. Landing pages need the same attention after launch, since a page that is moved, redirected or put behind a login can turn an approved ad into a disapproved one.

A regular account review catches disapprovals that appear after launch, along with policy updates that affect existing ads. The steps in auditing and optimising Microsoft Ads campaigns cover what that review should include. Priority Pixels reviews existing Microsoft Ads accounts to find problems and missed opportunities, with an audit that covers account structure, keyword choices, ad copy, targeting settings and conversion tracking setup.