Microsoft Updates Ad Policies | Digital Clicks Blog
Ever been caught up in a phishing scam? Or been redirected to one of those websites that takes about a hundred clicks to leave, yet you still feel uneasy that you may have caught a virus from even being on the site? I believe the majority of internet users have been stuck in similar situations, yet by doing thorough reviews of their advertising policies, Microsoft AdCenter is increasingly trying to crack down on these sites and focus primarily on bringing out ads that are safe and relevant to the user. Microsoft AdCenter provides the base of operations for Bing and Yahoo’s advertising, so a tightening on security, as well as the quality of ads, is always subject to scrutiny and improvement. The recently updated policies have reviewed deceptive and potentially harmful advertisements, taken onboard any problems, and updated their terms and conditions, to which all programmatic advertising agencies are now subject. The policies are now updated in a relevant manner to protect the online user and prevent direct response advertising. Direct response advertising can be very deceptive for the user and therefore dangerous through a lack of knowledge or control over where the site may be redirecting them as PPC services pop up almost everywhere. The biggest and most helpful changes are those that tackle this problem by hindering, or in some cases, excluding, this type of advertising altogether. The policies now state that sites forcing users to a sign-up page must have the option available of being able to return to the homepage so they can see the terms and conditions before signing up for anything, preventing the user from potentially signing their life away or unintentionally giving out personal information such as bank details. The new policy promotes the change “an expanded definition of relevancy and a higher standard of relevancy." Adverts that do not comply with the new policy will face exclusion from the Microsoft AdCenter altogether. Sites excluded are those that participate in “switch and bait” techniques, by which they redirect users to unrelated and foreign domains. As well as those caught misrepresenting the origin or intent of their content—the ultimate deception yet an easy trap to fall into with any PPC services. The policy has been recently implemented in the US and Canada, yet with no notification being given to creative advertising agencies, it might be time for some of those sites with dodgy advertising tactics to sort their act out.