Microsoft AdCenter Feedback

As someone who runs search engine marketing campaigns for companies, I was recently invited by Microsoft to participate in their MSN AdCenter pilot program. They sent me an email saying that since I was invited as a beta user, they would like some feedback on AdCenter. There are a few problems with their request 1) once you login to AdCenter there is no where to easily post feedback (having a feedback? Link would be especially helpful, and 2) the link they provided at the bottom on the email requesting feedback takes you to a form page labeled “sales help” - doesn’t exactly convince me that the feedback I give them is really going to be read. So, since I do have some feedback for Microsoft I decided to post it here to see if the web really connects us all as they say it does. So Microsoft, if you are listening…..here is my feedback on AdCenter…..

1) Geo-targeting. You have a big problem with the geo-targeting area of campaign set up. Let me give you an example. I am in Rochester, MI. I decide that I want to target my ads by city. I scroll down to the cities starting with “r” there are 3 Rochester’s listed. How do I know which one, if any, is Rochester, MI? All three are labeled Rochester with no greater explanation. What I choose one of the Rochesters and I choose the one for Rochester, NY – then I have just wasted a lot of money for ads appearing in an area that I don’t service. So then I decide ok, lets choose Detroit. Now does this target the Detroit DMA or does it only target the city of Detroit? I don’t know? Please – give people some idea of what the boundaries are for these “cities.” It would also be nice to be able to target by state.

2) Keyword research. It is really annoying that only 10 keywords show up on each page and then you have to move to the next page to see the rest. I don’t want to waste time scrolling through pages to see all my keywords. I want to see them all right away. Also, where are the count numbers coming from? More detail would be appreciated. And finally, I want to be able to copy/paste keywords into your program from notepad and Word. Importing from a file and/or copying from the keyword tool doesn’t always cut it.

3) Orders. It looks like in an effort to be original they have renamed Google’s “campaigns” to “orders.” This is confusing and unnecessary. An order is something that I buy once. I don’t order PPC advertising. Also, when I login it takes me to my “order” page. However, there is no date or time on this page to show me when the results of my “order” was last updated. I can go to reports to view yesterday or later’s data, but I want to know right when I login what my campaign is doing for me now…that is ½ the purpose of using PPC advertising – instant feedback and management control.

So Microsoft, that is my feedback after using my new AdCenter account for the past few days. To my other readers, I know this isn’t really of that much interest to you, but I am hoping someone out there from Microsoft is listening so I can better mange your search engine marketing campaigns.