Microsoft Advertising compliance checklist

1. Core site trust and transparency

Business identity

• Company name clearly visible on site
• Real contact email
• Phone number (recommended)
• Physical business address or registered location
• About Us page with real business details
• Domain ownership aligns with brand name

Policies required

• Privacy Policy live and accessible
• Terms and Conditions page
• Refund / Return policy if selling products
• Shipping policy if ecommerce
• Cookie notice where legally required

Secure site

• Entire site uses HTTPS
• No mixed-content warnings
• SSL certificate valid
• No browser security warnings

2. Advertising landing page compliance

Page functionality

• Final URL loads successfully
• No 404 pages
• No redirect loops
• Mobile page loads correctly
• Fast loading speed (under 3 seconds ideal)

Content match

• Landing page matches ad copy
• Product or service promoted is visible immediately
• No bait-and-switch messaging
• Prices and promotions match ad claims

Navigation

• Clear menu and navigation
• No broken links
• Users can leave popups and modals easily
• Back button works normally

3. Prohibited and high-risk content review

Remove or review if applicable:

• Counterfeit products
• Fake documents or services
• Weapons or illegal items
• Dangerous substances
• Malware, spyware, or hacking offers
• Misleading finance claims
• Unlicensed gambling
• Adult explicit content (depends on geo and policy)
• Medical miracle cures
• Cryptocurrency promises or guaranteed returns
• Get-rich-quick claims

4. Claims and copy compliance

Avoid misleading claims

• No "guaranteed income"
• No "instant approval" unless substantiated
• No fake scarcity ("Only 1 left" if false)
• No false testimonials
• No impersonating brands

If using superlatives

• "Best", "#1", "Top Rated" supported by evidence
• Awards or certifications verifiable

5. User experience standards

Spam and low-quality signals

• No excessive popups
• No autoplay audio
• No forced downloads
• No thin affiliate doorway pages
• Real original content present
• Site not built only for ads

Mobile UX

• Buttons tappable
• Text readable
• No intrusive interstitials
• Checkout usable on mobile

6. Lead generation forms

If collecting leads:

• Explain what happens after submission
• Required fields only
• Privacy consent if needed
• No deceptive form fields
• No auto-submitting forms
• Real thank-you page

7. Ecommerce compliance

Product pages

• Clear product descriptions
• Pricing visible
• Taxes and fees disclosed
• Stock status accurate
• Refund policy clear
• Checkout secure

Payment trust

• Trusted gateways
• No suspicious payment-only methods unless normal for region

8. Tracking, privacy, and cookies

Advertising technology

• Consent banner where required
• Microsoft UET tag disclosed in Privacy Policy if used
• Third-party tracking disclosed
• No covert fingerprinting
• No hidden data harvesting

Aggressive device fingerprinting can create policy and privacy issues depending on implementation and jurisdiction. Align technical behavior with your disclosures and applicable law.

9. Technical SEO and quality signals

• Unique title tags
• No duplicate spam pages
• Sitemap.xml exists
• robots.txt sane
• No cloaking
• No sneaky redirects
• Canonicals set where needed