No sooner does the ink dry on my 10 Things I Hate About Yahoo! Search Marketing post that I get an email from Yahoo! sent to all their advertisers stating that they are finally going to revamp Sponsored Search (Yahoo!’s PPC program), at least by this fall anyways.
“You’ve told us your needs and we’ve listened. A completely redesigned search marketing platform is on its way, full of advanced, easy-to-use features that will help you better connect with Yahoo!’s vast and valuable audience,” the email states.
They go on to say, “As part of creating these enhancements, we met with advertisers of all sizes to hear first-hand the things they liked and didn’t like about Sponsored Search. We extensively reviewed all parts of our service, including the design, features and tools. The result of these efforts is the new Sponsored Search, which will make its debut this Fall.” Don’t know that they will hear much of what advertisers like but it is good that they are taking notice of what paying customers want.
Here are some of the things we can look forward to:
- Easy-to-Use Control Panel
A completely redesigned, easy-to-navigate control panel will help you see what’s working and what’s not–at the level of detail you choose–so you can take action and get even better results.
- Fast Ad Activation
Most new ads will go online within minutes, allowing you to connect with customers quickly, and easily make changes to your ads whenever you need to.
- Ad Testing
Easily test multiple versions of an ad to find the message that works best for your customers and provides the greatest return on your advertising investment. You can then choose to shift impressions to the ad that performs best.
- Geo-Targeting
Display your ads broadly or narrow your geographic distribution to better target your customers, customize your ads and control your costs.
- Campaign Budgeting, Forecasting and Scheduling
Create, budget and schedule individual advertising campaigns for greater control over your advertising strategy and spending. Review forecasts of your potential clicks based on your bids and budget and see how many clicks you’re leaving to your competitors.
- Visibility
Understand how well your ads are performing relative to your competitors with the new Quality Index displayed for each ad. You’ll also see the bid range necessary for premium placement at the top of the search results page.
- Easy-to-Use Control Panel
A completely redesigned, easy-to-navigate control panel will help you see what’s working and what’s not–at the level of detail you choose–so you can take action and get even better results.
Sounds a little more like AdWords, doesn’t it? They will be communicating with advertisers over the coming months to prepare them for the change. This includes:
- A series of emails with tips on how best to prepare your account
- In-depth articles on our new features in the advertiser newsletter
- A new Yahoo! Search Marketing blog–a community forum for tips, news and your comments, as well as the inside scoop from our own staff, to help you be more successful
- A dedicated toll-free phone number that will be available to you during your transition period, for any questions or concerns you may have
Too bad we have to wait till the fall but at least they are finally revamping a very old and outdated system that has been the frustration of advertisers for some time now.
David Wallace, co-founder and CEO of SearchRank, is a recognized expert in the industry of search and social media marketing. Since 1997, David has been involved in developing successful search engine and social media marketing campaigns for large and small businesses.
