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Previous Visits automated extension stopped showing entirely around April 8-9, 2026

Shig 0 Reputation points
2026-04-30T08:32:18.7766667+00:00

I run search campaigns and the Previous Visits automated extension was one of my highest-performing extensions. Around April 8-9, it dropped to exactly zero across all metrics and has not returned.

Prior period (March 18 – April 8):

  • 85,709 impressions

Current period (April 9 – April 30):

  • All metrics at 0 (-100%)

At the exact same time, Dynamic Structured Snippets volume surged from 1,422 impressions to 18,221 (+1,181%), suggesting DSS took over the slot that Previous Visits previously occupied.

variance

What I've checked and ruled out:

  • Previous Visits is NOT opted out in Manage Automated Extensions settings (screenshot attached)
  • No domain changes — same LP domain throughout
  • No campaign structure changes around that date
  • I opted out of DSS to test whether it was a slot competition issue — no change, Previous Visits still not showing
  • Previous Visits is still active platform-wide — I can see it on competitor ads in the same vertical (e.g. "Site visitors: Over 10K in the past month" and "Site visitors: Over 1M in the past month")

settings

The drop was not gradual. It went from full delivery to exactly zero overnight, which suggests a system-level change rather than performance-based suppression.

Has there been any change to Previous Visits eligibility criteria or extension auction priority around early April 2026? Is this a known issue?

Any guidance appreciated. Thank you.

Microsoft Advertising | Ad delivery | Missing ads
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  1. MS Advertising - Arsen 160 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-05-01T12:21:35.51+00:00

    Hello Shig,

    Thank you for using our Microsoft Advertising Learn Q&A Platform!   

    Thank you for the detailed analysis and for clearly outlining the checks you’ve already completed.

    Based on the behavior you’re seeing, this does not appear to be caused by a configuration change, opt‑out, or campaign‑level adjustment in your Microsoft Advertising account.

    The Previous Visits automated extension can stop serving instantly when an account no longer meets Microsoft Advertising’s internal eligibility criteria for that extension. These criteria are reassessed continuously and are based on aggregated signals such as recent site‑visit volume and other privacy‑safe thresholds. When eligibility changes, delivery can move from normal volume to zero without a gradual decline.

    This type of change:

    • Does not surface as a policy issue or disapproval
    • Does not appear in change history
    • Cannot be restored by opting other automated extensions in or out
    • Is evaluated at the account level, which is why the extension may still be visible on competitor ads

    Regarding the timing you noted with Dynamic Structured Snippets: when one automated extension becomes ineligible, Microsoft Advertising automatically reallocates impression share to other eligible automated extensions. This explains the increase in DSS volume, but DSS did not replace or suppress Previous Visits.

    At this time, there is no manual setting or support action that can force the Previous Visits extension to resume serving. If eligibility conditions change in the future, the extension may begin serving again automatically.

    We understand this can be frustrating, especially when performance was strong prior to the change. To offset the impact, we recommend focusing on advertiser‑controlled assets such as manual callouts, structured snippets, and other extensions that provide similar trust or scale signals and are not dependent on automated eligibility thresholds.

    Please let us know if you’d like guidance on alternative extensions or optimization options to help maintain performance going forward.

    I hope the information provided here will at least partly answer your question.  If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to our support.

    Kind regards, 

    Arsen D. | Microsoft Advertising Support Specialist | 800-518-5689

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