Microsoft has updated a couple of features in their adCenter Labs to give users a more robust experience… or perhaps to make them simply say “wow”. But they didn’t stop there.
Not only have they rolled out updates for adCenter, the folks at Live or MSN or Microsoft (whatever they are called now) have also introduced a couple of outside-the-lab features designed to improve the communication cycle between the adCenter and its members.
Within adCenter, Microsoft has updated their Search Funnel feature (analyze and visualize user search sequences in the form of funnels) and they’ve also introduced the Keyword Forecast, which allows you to, “Learn about the impression count forecast and demographic predictions of your search terms. The search forecast results can be shown as Flash, pictures, or text.“
From the looks of things, these updates were intended to give users additional tools to perform their SEM research with. However, another point of view from Barry Schwartz is probably closer to the target: “This is outside of the adCenter product, directly. It is there to make people go ‘wow’.“
The adCenter Lab was not the only Microsoft adCenter service to be bitten by the update bug. As I mentioned earlier, in an effort to improve communications between adCenter reps and users, Microsoft has launched an adCenter forum, complete with sections for both adCenter and adCenter Labs users. The final communications update was to move the adCenter blog from its old location to a Live Spaces format.
If you’d like to see either of the two adCenter features at work, check out Barry’s post at SERoundtable. Cool charts, indeed.
Chris Richardson
Staff Writer | Murdok Blog
