Yahoo Direct Traffic Center and MSN AdCenter: Beginning to Look a lot Like Google
Google’s paid search leadership is clear in this at least: both MSN and Yahoo are following their ad console set up.

Google’s paid search account structure is set up with Campaigns and Adgroups (sub-accounts) below the Campaigns. The Adgroups contain keywords with ads associated with that group of keywords. Bid position is based on a number of factors to include your maximum cost per click and your click thru rate.

Yahoo’s system is different than Google’s. Yahoo has only one layer they call Categories and are straight bid to position, click thru rate is not a factor. Each keyword has its own ad.

Yahoo’s current system has been criticized for its slowness, maintenance issues, and its straight bid to position model may not generate the most relevant site for the customer searching for products or information.

What is Yahoo to do?

The Yahoo rep in the SEW forums said “we're working on replacing the interface you currently use (YES, this means a new DTC).”

SEW forum moderator shor, has tested Yahoo’s new console, and reported that, “essentially it was a Google Adwords clone with added functionality.”

How about MSN?

MSN, which will be out shortly, has also followed Google’s structure (according to my inside sources). MSN’s paid search accounts will be set up just like Google’s. However, they will have some added features like demographics.

I am glad that the structure of the accounts will be the same in all 3 engines because it will make all of them easier to manage. I can have all the same named campaigns and adgroups. This was hard to do when Yahoo only had Categories and no sub-categories like Google.
Al Scillitani | permalink | +marktd |