ReferenceMicrosoft Advertising delivery status
Low search volume
Low search volume means a keyword has little or no search history on the Microsoft Advertising Network, so it is inactive and will not trigger ads. Microsoft checks it again every week and turns it back on if searches pick up. Wait if it names a new brand or product; otherwise replace it with a broader keyword people actually search.
At a glance
- Where it shows
- In the Delivery column of the Keywords table.
- What stops
- That keyword. The rest of the ad group keeps serving on its other keywords.
- How serious
- Low. Nothing is wrong with the account; nobody is searching the phrase.
- How long
- Microsoft checks and updates the status weekly.
What it means
Microsoft Advertising does not enter a keyword into auctions when its network has seen almost no searches for it. The keyword stays in the account, marked inactive, and Microsoft rechecks it every week. When enough people start searching for it, the keyword is reactivated and can trigger ads again.
What actually triggers it
The phrase is too long or too specific
Long keywords that stack a service, a town and a detail are rarely searched word for word, even when each part is.
It names something new
A new brand, product or term has no search history yet. This is the case Microsoft says waiting suits best.
It was copied from a Google Ads account
Not on Google's help page
Microsoft judges volume on its own network. A keyword that serves on Google can be inactive here, so an imported campaign often arrives with a group of these.
A spelling or word order nobody uses
Not on Google's help page
A trade term written the way the business says it, rather than the way customers search it, can carry almost no volume.
Fix it in this order
- Go to Campaigns, then Keywords, and filter or sort the Delivery column to list the keywords marked Low search volume.
- Leave the ones that name a new brand, product or term, and let the weekly check reactivate them as searches grow.
- For the rest, use Keyword Planner to find the shorter or more common phrases people search for the same thing.
- Add those as new keywords, then remove the inactive ones so the list shows what is actually serving.
New keywords go through editorial review on save. An inactive keyword left in place is checked again within a week.
Running Microsoft Advertising beside Google is one of the things we sell. A status like “Low search volume” is the kind of problem we sort out as part of that work, in an account that stays in your name.
Often confused with
Low quality score
The keyword is active and serving, but less competitive because of its quality score.
The keyword is active, but its bid is too low to put the ad on the first page.