What is Final URL Expansion in Microsoft Ads?
Final URL Expansion is a campaign-level setting in Microsoft Ads. When enabled, Microsoft may ignore the landing page URL you specified for an ad, and instead send users to other URLs on your site that it deems more relevant.
The idea is to increase traffic by picking a URL that seems to match the user’s query or interest. But using URLs you didn’t choose can lead to mismatches, duplicate coverage, or unwanted traffic.
Why should I turn it off?
Final URL Expansion often causes misalignment or inefficiency. Here are when and why it can be harmful:
Users sent to pages not aligned with your campaign’s goals. For example, you might want leads, but end up sending traffic to informational pages, product listings, or even irrelevant content.
Overlapping URLs. You may already have other campaigns targeting certain URLs or landing pages - expansion could duplicate effort, compete with your own ads, or interfere with tracking and attribution.
Poor user experience. If Microsoft selects a page that loads slower, isn't mobile-friendly, or lacks the intended copy/design, the visitor experience suffers, increasing bounce rates or lowering conversions.
Tracking & measurement confusion. Since clicks go to URLs you didn’t explicitly choose, reporting can become messy. Which landing page performed best? Hard to tell.
Budget wasted. More traffic doesn’t always mean more conversions; if expanded URLs attract lower intent users or irrelevant searches, your CPA rises.
Additional notes:
Some advertisers report ads still sending clicks to old or outdated URLs despite changing the final URL setting, due to URL expansion behaviour. This can lead to sending users to pages that are no longer optimal [Source].
Microsoft’s policy requires that final URLs be valid and resolved properly; expanding to pages that are broken or slow can trigger policy issues or poor delivery [Source].
How does this Improvement work?
Opteo checks all your campaigns and flags any campaign where Final URL Expansion is active.
You’ll see how long the setting has been enabled. For example - “This campaign was first found to have Final URL Expansion enabled 42 days ago.”
When you apply the Improvement, Opteo will disable Final URL Expansion in the campaign, with a single action. That means all clicks will go to the URLs you set, keeping traffic aligned with your campaign objectives.
When is Final URL Expansion most harmful?
Campaigns with strict landing page messaging, such as special offers, sign-ups, or product launches, where consistency matters.
Accounts with overlapping targeting or multiple campaigns covering similar pages. Expansion can cannibalise your own traffic.
Sites with poor internal pages (slow, irrelevant content, non-mobile friendly) -Microsoft may pick them, hurting engagement.
Cases where you need precise reporting or tight control over user journey - knowing which page a user clicked through to, and how performance differs by landing page.
When can it be useful?
There are limited cases where expansion can help:
Large sites with many product pages, where you may not have specified every product URL manually. Expansion might help capture relevant pages you missed.
Broad awareness or discovery campaigns, where traffic volume is more important than tight landing page control.
When your website structure is consistent and high-quality across many pages, so variations in page experience are minimal.
If it make sense to leave it on, feel free to dismiss the Improvement.