Inventory self-classification

Why self-classify

We strongly encourage all networks to self-audit their inventory for sensitive attributes and Content Categories. Assigning content categories to your placement groups and placements allows you to better target your direct inventory. It can also be useful when Reselling Managed Inventory. Assigning sensitive attributes will ensure that your managed advertisers only serve on inventory that meets their specifications. Also, buyers have the option to target your inventory based on whether or not you have self-classified it, so the more inventory you self-classify the more demand you will see.

Warning

If you sell toolbar, browser plug-in, or related inventory, you must self-classify the inventory as such through this tool. See below for more information. Undeclared toolbar inventory will be suspended within 72 hours as per Microsoft Advertising Part of Service Policies

Self-reviewing and targeting direct inventory

If you use inventory quality targeting at the campaign level and you are targeting your direct inventory, you will only be able to serve on self-reviewed inventory.

How to self-review for sensitive attributes

You can review at the placement group or placement level for each publisher. Placements inherit the placement group's audit settings unless you override them at the placement level.

Child-directed sites

For special rules that apply to identifying child-directed sites, see our Part of Service Policies

Toolbars, browser plug-ins, and similar content

In order to sell toolbar inventory, the toolbar must comply with our Part of Service Policies. Specifically, the toolbar must not obscure or interfere with the publisher's ads and must have user consent. Additionally, sellers must:

  • Segregate toolbar/browser plugging inventory from other inventory on different tags
  • Pass the underlying domain (not the toolbar domain) to Microsoft Advertising
  • Self-audit toolbar inventory as a toolbar and provide additional information so we can assess compliance with our policy

Sellers can comply by entering information into the fields that display when the Toolbars, plugins, or extensions attribute is selected.

How to self-review for content categories

You can self-review at the placement group level, the placement level, or both. A placement will inherit all placement group level settings. If you self-review at the placement group level and the placement level, the placement will be put in all categories. For example, you might work with a news site that has a sports section. You may wish to categorize the placement group for that site as "News" and all placements in the sports section as "Sports." This categorization will put the placement into the news category as well as the sports category.