Last month, I announced that I’m now testing the new PPC search offering: Microsoft adCenter – the online advertising platform for MSN Search.
Although, I’m relatively pleased with the ROI this new system is producing (even after such a short time), I firmly believe that Microsoft (and the beta team) should have tested the system more thoroughly before official launch. For instance:
1. The system did not (and probably still doesn’t) support Firefox and Mac users… How was this missed?
2. When copying and pasting keywords into your campaign, you cannot paste more than 100 keywords at once.
3. Huge delays in reporting.
4. You cannot Mass change the “Match-Type” on your keywords… you have to manually check a box against each keyword. This can be time-consuming, especially if you have 100’s or even 1000’s of keywords.
5. The system can be very slow… definitely not recommended for Dial-up users.
6. No Campaign-level excluded keywords can be entered. There’s also a limit on the amount of excluded keywords you can use per order.
Although Microsoft are currently working on these issues, most of these I believe, should have been noticed and rectified during it’s pilot program. The very low impression count on my ads is also of concern… is anyone actually using MSN Search!
Would I still recommend using adCenter? Absolutely as the ROI does seem to be a lot better than other leading PPC services… but I wouldn’t move from the other PPC services just yet. With Microsoft being famous for what they do best after a new product launch, expect to see continuous and frequent fixes and updates to the adCenter system… It’s still in beta test 🙂
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Derek Jones is the author of the Home Business Creation and Success Strategies Blog, which includes the latest Marketing News and Developments plus helpful Tips, Tricks, Tools and Advice on starting and developing a successful and profitable Home-Based Internet Business.
