More adCenter Tools for Search Marketers
Posted: December 17th, 2007
Microsoft has presented search marketers and advertisers with an early Christmas present this year, with plans for a more extensive array of tools in adCenter. Some advertisers have been critical of Microsoft’s search engine Live.com, as it only commands about 7.4% of search traffic in the United States, placing it well behind Google and Yahoo, and only a few percentage points above Ask.com.
Despite lower search volumes, adCenter is continuing to delight the marketing folks with its innovative and practical tools. Among the newest additions is the ability to geotarget ads and better direct messages to local markets. Through the dayparting feature, advertisers can choose to have their ads displayed between certain time slots. These bells and whistles are further complemented by the demographic targeting of a searcher’s age and gender.
Microsoft Excel will be seeing some action too, thanks to adCenter Labs. An add-in will become available for Excel 2007, allowing search marketers to strategically plan keywords based on relevance, search volume, and historical costs.
It is important not to dismiss the breadth of Microsoft products and the synergies from integrating them together. Advertisers and marketers alike are generally comfortable with using Office, and easing the flow of research could be the staple that they’re looking for.
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