When MSN launched adCenter, hopes were high. So far, the reality is falling short.
1. Low Traffic – MSN’s search traffic is between 8 – 11%. Low traffic means few clicks and even fewer leads/sales.
2. Poor Customer Support – The majority of email support issues are answered by an automated attendant with templated responses. It can take multiple emails to get an actual response which normally doesn’t solve the problem. Phone support has improved as far as the hold time. The customer service reps provide more help over the phone than email, but the overall quality of support is very low.
3. Content Match Inclusion – In an effort to increase traffic and clicks, Microsoft introduced adCenter beta and automatically included Content Match for all campaigns. Not only did they include this option for all clients, but they turned it on, which results in advertising dollars being spent on Web site ads instead of search engine ads. This also results in low campaign performance and wasted advertising dollars.
4. Reporting – The reporting tools that MSN provides are very basic and slow loading.
5. Bid Changes – Changing bid prices has become very cumbersome. Multiple steps are needed to change a simple keyword bid. This results in a great deal of wasted time.
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