MSN AdCenter

In mid to October 2005 MSN launched their AdWords & Overture (Yahoo Search Marketing) competitor, the MSN AdCenter in the US. As with all new PPC marketing programs, there are common questions from people interested in it's current functionality, options and plans for the future. Through participation in various forums and blogs I've seen some of the same questions asked again and again, so I'll do my best to answer some of them here.

Q: How do I sign up for the AdCenter pilot?
A: You have to register for an AdCenter account. If accepted, the AdCenter team will contact you via e-mail with instructions on how to activate your AdCenter account.

Q: What kind of targeting options does AdCenter have?
A: The current AdCenter targeting options include geographic location, gender and age, day of week and time of day.

Q: What kind of distribution will my AdCenter ads get? Where are they being displayed?
A: During the pilot AdCenter ads are being displayed "on up to 25 percent of MSN Search traffic." The other 75% of the time ads will be served through MSN's partnership with Yahoo.

Q: Is there a minimum amount I have to bid for keywords?
A: The minimum bid for a keyword or phrase is $.05.

Q: I've been using AdCenter and would like to give some feedback. What is the best way to get in touch with the AdCenter team? A: You can use the AdCenter feedback form or post a message in webmaster forums that are monitored by AdCenter representatives: MSN AdCenter wants your feedback at Search Engine Watch and MSN AdCenter wants your feedback! at Digital Point.

Q: I own a website. Can I put these ads on my site like I do with Adsense or Yahoo ads?
A: At the present time MSN AdCenter does not offer a publishing arm of it's product like Adsense. No official date for a release of an Adsense like product has been announced at this time. I would keep an eye on the MSN Search Blog for current news.

If you have other questions or want more information you can visit the official AdCenter FAQ.