Editorial Guidelines

Objective: Learn about Microsoft adCenter editorial style and content requirements for ads, keywords, and landing pages.

Introduction

The Editorial Guidelines ensure a better experience for those using Live Search, and better ROI for those displaying their ads on Live Search and other pages on the Microsoft network. The adCenter staff will review ads, keywords, and landing pages to make sure they meet guidelines for style, content, and functionality. Adhering to the guidelines discussed in this tutorial will help ensure that your ad is accepted quickly.

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Reasons for Editorial Guidelines

• Adherence to the Editorial Guidelines helps ensure satisfaction for advertisers and their customers and more consistency in our application of the Guidelines.
• Microsoft wants to provide its search engine users—your potential customers—with a positive user experience. Editorial Guidelines, such as requiring ads to be relevant to users' search queries, help ensure a positive experience for everyone.
• Microsoft also wants to provide you with a positive advertising experience. Editorial Guidelines help ensure professional-looking ads. Trademark guidelines help to protect your brand investments.
• Editorial Guidelines help to protect the Microsoft brand, too. When ads and landing pages do not contain offensive or illegal content, users and advertisers have fewer reasons for complaint or legal action.

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Editorial Style

Editorial style helps make your ads professional, clear, and accurate. Keep editorial style in mind as you write your ads.

Capitalization and Punctuation

Capitalize proper nouns, as appropriate, but don't use random capitalization or words in all caps, unless the word is branded or is a legitimate acronym.

You can use special characters including currency, trademark, copyright, and other acceptable symbols, as well as model numbers, acronyms, ISBNs and trademarks containing special characters . However, ads can't display characters with accents, superscripts or subscripts, or enhanced fonts such as bold and italic.

Use correct punctuation in your ad, including a period at the end of the ad text. Avoid consecutive exclamation and question marks in your ad text, too. Exclamation marks are not allowed in the title.

Character Limits

As you write your ad, keep in mind the character limits for each element of the ad. One of the main reasons for ad rejection is that one or more of the elements exceeds the character limits.

Remember, the character limits also apply to dynamic text insertions, so be sure you check each dynamic text insertion for compliance with text limits.

Spelling and Grammar

To create professional-looking ads, use correct spelling and readable grammar. It's fine to use shortened versions of words that reflect common usage, and character substitution for some words such as ampersands, but don't use gimmicky spelling and jargon or repetitive ads. Phone numbers may not appear within an ad.

Promotional Copy and Calls to Action

Your ads should reflect current, accurate pricing and discount language. Price quotes may appear in your ad, provided the price is clearly visible on the landing page and reflects the actual pricing.

Specific calls to action, such as "Join Today" and "Buy Now," may be used in moderation. Do not use the generic call to action "Click Here!", or excessive promotional language, superlatives, and slogans.

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Content Guidelines

Microsoft reserves the right to withhold approval of advertising content at its discretion. The following sections describe the types of content that adCenter content guidelines may prohibit or restrict. To help ensure that your ad is approved, apply these content guidelines as you write ads, select keywords, and link to landing pages. For more information on content guidelines, visit Microsoft adCenter Help: Content Guidelines .

Adult Content and Personals

Microsoft allows personals and dating ads, provided they are not sexually suggestive. Advertisements for sexual health items, sex toys, and educational materials are also permitted. Links to adult materials, including movies, books, and magazines, must be at least two clicks away from your landing page.

Microsoft does not allow advertising from adult content providers, or escort and prostitution services. Ads and landing pages may not include partial or complete nudity, sex scenes, pornography, sexually suggestive text and images, or the names of porn stars.

Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drugs

Microsoft allows advertisements for wine and beer. Advertising for shot glasses, beer mugs, similar alcohol related merchandise; and food items, such as candied liquors, are also permitted. Tobacco accessories can be advertised provided the user cannot purchase tobacco on the landing page.

Microsoft does not allow advertisements for hard alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, or illegal drugs and drug paraphernalia. You cannot purchase alcohol or tobacco keywords if they promote the sale of hard alcohol or tobacco.

Firearms and Fireworks

Advertisements for gun racks, cleaning equipment, and legal gun parts and accessories are permitted. In addition, advertisements for paintball and stun guns, clearly marked imitation firearms, knives, traditional martial arts weapons, bows, and pepper spray are allowed, as permitted by law.

Fireworks and other pyrotechnic devices may not be advertised. Advertisements for firearms, assault weapon parts, potato guns, BB guns, cannons, flares, switchblades, knuckles, military weaponry, and grenades are also prohibited.

Gambling, Illegal Marketing, Sweepstakes, Spam

Ads for hotels and casinos that offer gambling are allowed, provided they do not offer online gaming. Poker chips and playing cards may also be advertised.

Ads that promote free offers are permitted, provided any terms and conditions are included in the ad or on the landing page.

Microsoft does not allow the promotion or facilitation of online gambling, including links to online gambling, no matter how many clicks away from the landing page. Illegal contests, pyramid schemes, chain letters, and products that support the use of spam or bulk messaging are also prohibited.

Hate Speech, Profanity, Violence, Defamatory Content

Microsoft ads may not contain hate speech based on the race, gender, creed, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, or language of an individual or a group. Advertisements containing any known associations to hate, criminal, or terrorist activities will be disapproved.

Profane terms and violent content are also prohibited, as is defamatory or slanderous content, and content that violates the rights of privacy.

Pharmaceuticals

Advertisements for pharmaceutical information, over-the-counter medications, insurance services for prescription drugs, and medical supplies are allowed. Medical devices, health and beauty items, vitamins, and weight control products may also be advertised, provided the advertiser follows applicable restrictions.

Only PharmacyChecker-verified advertisers may run ads that sell pharmaceuticals; pharmaceutical advertising from uncertified pharmacies or illegal online pharmacies is prohibited.

Illegal Activities, Fake Documents, Non-legitimate Devices and Methods

Advertising for illegal activities and fake documents, such as fake IDs and fake educational diplomas, is prohibited. You are also prohibited from promoting devices and services when they are used for non-legitimate or illegal purposes, such as avoiding traffic tickets, beating drug tests, receiving free cable service, or performing non-legitimate surveillance.

Religious, Political, and Other Restricted Content

Advertisements containing religious content or divergent political views are allowed, provided the organization is identified and the ad complies with applicable laws and advertising policy.

However, ads that promote politically religious agendas or use "hot button" political issues for commercial purposes are prohibited.

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