Confidential

Search API Guidelines

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Publisher API guidelines
API General Guidelines
General
Restriction on activities
Ad and Algo¹ results Rendering Guidelines
General do’s and don’ts
Ad Unit Labeling Guidelines
Ad Serving Requirements
Requirements for Keyword Suggestion(s)
Customized/ Hosted SERP – Special Requirements

Publisher API guidelines

These guidelines outline the specific requirements for the use of the Search API licensed to you by CodeFuel. These guidelines do not replace or derogate from any of your obligations in the agreement you signed with CodeFuel; but are intended to provide guidance as to what you can do with the Search API (API) and how to correctly implement the Search API into your PC and/or mobile application / site.

The Publisher’s Compliance Guidelines dated December 2, 2014 are an integral part of this document. If you do not have the Publisher’s Compliance Guidelines, please contact your account manager at CodeFuel.

These guidelines are not an exhaustive list and CodeFuel is entitled to use its discretion when evaluating your website/ application and may replace/edit/expand the guidelines at any time. For further information on how to integrate your product with CodeFuel’s search API, please
reference the corresponding integration guidelines provided by your account manager.

API General Guidelines

General

1. The publisher’s site/ app must conspicuously display accurate contact information, such as: company name, physical address, phone number and email address, About Us page and publisher’s privacy policy.

2. The site/ app must comply with Bing Ads User Safety and Privacy Guidelines.

3. Please note that if the source of your traffic is related to downloadable products, your API implementation must also comply with the Bing Software and Downloads guidelines.

Restriction on activities

1. Arbitrage is forbidden (arbitrage includes the purchasing of traffic by or for publisher with the intent of directing the user to web pages where Bing Ads Paid Results are a prominent page element). “Bing Ads Paid Results” means any result which includes the delivery of advertisement.

2. No forwarding, no masking and no cloaking of URLs:

Cloaking: Presenting content to a search engine crawler that is materially different from that presented to a user’s browser.
Masking: Displaying in the user’s address bar a URL different from that of the page being visited.
Forwarding: Redirecting users to a different domain or URL.

3. Changing user preferences or resetting default home pages/ any other search asset, without the user’s informed consent is prohibited. (Note that this prohibition also applies to the source of your traffic. For example – if the source of your traffic is from a browser that changes the user’s search preferences, then such changes must be subject to user’s informed consent).

4. Resizing browser windows without the user’s informed consent is prohibited.

5. Disabling back buttons, or otherwise interfering with a user’s ability to navigate is not permitted. You must use a clear indication to enable the user to close the browser or any interface window.

6. Issuing any “leave-behinds” or other actions when a user clicks away from the website/ app (for example: leaving traces on user’s machine after the user clicked away / completed his action) is not permitted.

7. Requiring the user to download files or programs in order to access the website/ app is prohibited.

Ad and Algo results Rendering Guidelines

Please note that these guidelines apply to all types of Bing Search Ads (also referred to as “Bing Ads”) including (but not limited to):

a. Paid results / 1 click ad as a consequence of user’s typed -in search (e.g. from a search box), or
b. Any 2-clicks ad implementation (e.g, Display to Search of any kind, In-Text, In-Tag, etc.)

For the sake of clarity, we will use the term “results” to describe both ad and algo results. Rendering results refer to the interface of the Bing ad or algo results. Interface refers to any type of implementation that was submitted and approved by CodeFuel.

General do’s and don’ts

1. Publishers must not :

Minimize (e.g. truncate text of the results), remove (e.g. omit results or part of the result’s content: Title, Description, URL or the Extension details), redirect (e.g. upon user clicks on a result, it must send the user to the Landing page of the advertiser/ targeted site), reorder Bing results or otherwise inhibit or modify the display of Bing results.
Modify the keyword(s) that appears in any search access point (e.g. searchbox, tag, related links etc…). It is prohibited to make any addition, change or deletion of the keyword(s). Keyword(s) must be bolded if returned so by the API.
Please note: spell check, auto completion, and suggested query functionalities – are allowed subject to CodeFuel prior approval.
Use Bing results on websites under construction, unfinished, or on error pages.
Serve results on implementations where the primary content on the site is ads (any type of ad).
Use any image/icon/thumbnail next to the results (unless if the image/icon/thumbnail was returned by the Bing API itself).
Use the Bing logo or name next to any Bing result(s).
The only clickable spaces linking to advertisers/targeted landing page that are allowed are: title, description, URLs, and ad extensions.

2. Bing results can only be displayed upon clear User Intent or interest (subject to CodeFuel’s approval. “User Intent” may include: user typed–in search, clicked keyword link or clicked tag). It must be clearly specified to the user that a search action will occur upon clicking on such an item, and a proper label must be used).

3. Bing ads must be displayed in a fully functional web page or application, and may not appear in pop‐ups or pop‐unders.

4. Bing results must be displayed immediately after the search event (re-directing via any referred URL is not allowed).

5. When returned, search results (either paid or Algo results) must be the prominent element on the search result page. For example – make sure that the results are distinguishable, clear and labeled properly (see instructions re labeling below).

Ad Unit Labeling Guidelines

Any ad unit should be labeled as follows:

“Sponsored Links”, “Ad(s)”, “Ad(s) related to […]”, “Advertisement(s)”, “Sponsored listing(s)”, “Sponsored Result(s)”, “Sponsored Link(s)”, “Featured Advertisement(s)”.
The ad label must appear in close proximity to the advertisement. Ideal placement is on the upper left-hand corner of the ad unit.
Avoid using small font sizes and colors that may blend-in with the background of the page.
Use the same ad label throughout the page and across the ad’s interface.
The following labels are prohibited: “Trending now”, “News feed” or any other substantially similar labeling.

Ad Serving Requirements

1. Advertisement from Bing ads may not be commingled with other advertisements from other ad networks in the same ad block unit

2. Similarly, advertisements from Microsoft may not be intermixed with non-sponsored content (that is, anything other than ads

Requirements for Keyword Suggestion(s)

Any technology that utilizes multiple intent signals to extract related keyword must abide by the following rules:

1. Keyword suggestion(s) must be relevant to the website/ app content or at least to the User Intent (see definition in section 3 above)

2. If you have a multiple keyword suggestions unit in a webpage/ app, they must be different from each other (e.g. in a webpage about travel to Rome, e.g. you may not include the keyword suggestion “hotels in Rome” more than once on a webpage)

3. The keyword suggestion(s) must be displayed in the targeted language.

4. Inappropriate keywords must not be suggested.

5. Keyword links must be distinguishable and separated from any other internal website/ app link (e.g. the keyword links should not look like the website’s text link or links to other sub-links of the website).

6. Keyword suggestion(s) is not allowed with any interstitials/ pop ups.

7. Keywords suggestion may include images/icons/thumbnail but only with prior written approval of CodeFuel.

– If using an image/icon next to Keywords suggestion- was approved by CodeFuel, then the publisher must at minimum comply with the following:

>>Publisher must have a valid license and right for the respective use of the image/ icon/thumbnail

>> If there are multiple keyword suggestions in an ad unit, you should not duplicate the same image/ thumbnail in one ad unit (e.g. do not repeat the same image for different keywords in the same unit)

Repeat/Duplicate Ads or Algo results (e.g. display the same result above and below the page/interface) – are not allowed

Ads are considered repeat/duplicates if they feature the following:

> The same brand

> The same or substantially similar look and feel, an

> The promotion of the same products or services.

Duplicate results may be approved if the source of the duplication is the Search API itself (resulting from Bing), and not the result of a publisher’s action.

Customized/ Hosted SERP – Special Requirements

The following requirements are relevant only to publishers who received written approval from CodeFuel/ Perion to create customized SERP:

1. The customized search result page* must contain a prominent link to the implementation’s (e.g site or product site) privacy policy.

2. customized SERP is the non- “native” search provider’s SERP, but a SERP that is operated by the publisher and hosted under an approved domain by CodeFuel

- Searchbox (with a clear call to action)
  - Optional features: auto suggest listing, search history.
- PC/ tablet:
  - Main (top) search ads block unit (min. 1;).
  - side ads are optional (min 0;)
  - the overall ad blocks unit should not exceed:
    - in a SERP containing both ads and algo – up to 20 ads per ad call.
    - In a SERP containing only ads – up to 10 ads per ad call.
  - organic (algo) results must be displayed after the ad block (it is recommended to have 8-10 organic results per page).
- Mobile:
  - Main (top) search ads block unit (max 2).
  - organic (algo) results must be displayed after the ad block (it is recommended to have 8-10 organic results per page).
- Ads must be properly labeled (see “Ad Unit Labeling Guidelines” chapter).
- You must not call for any type of ad where the page displays prohibited content.
- Any additional forms of monetization (other than the Web Search Provider ads) on a customized SERP is forbidden, unless specifically approved in advance by CodeFuel and the Web Search Provider.
- Footer links: Company name, Privacy policy, About, Contact information, Recommended: Terms of Use link.
- The Search term within the result must appear exactly as retuned by the API.
- For more UX/ UI guidelines- please refer to Ad and Algo Results rendering Guidelines.
The following are other optional features which are subject to CodeFuel’s pre-approval of the technology and/or UX & UI:

Other monetization which is separated from the Bing ad block unit
Related searches
Trending searches
Search setting /Filter box
Display non-web results (e.g Images, News, Videos…)
Pager (navigate between pages)
Display of the publisher’s brand/ logo.

As a reminder: you must comply with the requirements and prohibitions at all times- as set out in the Fraudulent Activity and Prohibited Activity link at fraudulent-activity-prohibited-activity/
For any questions, please contact your Account Manager at CodeFuel.