When Microsoft adCenter was launched back in 2006, Impression Search decided not to include it in our default PPC management offerings. The main reason for this decision was that the majority of our clients’ budgets just didn’t allow for expansion outside of Google and/or Yahoo. And while we of course educated ourselves in adCenter’s interface and launched/managed a few accounts for clients on a case-by-case basis, we never did come across the need to make it a primary focus.

Well, times, they are a changin’. The transition to adCenter from Yahoo! Search Marketing is right around the corner, and with it comes the discontinuation of the Yahoo! Search Marketing Ambassador program. As of October 1, 2010, we will no longer be able to display our nifty Ambassador logo (sniff sniff). And within the next couple of weeks, all of our clients’ Yahoo! Search Marketing accounts will move over to adCenter.

So, drumroll please… As of today, I have traded one certification for another: I finally became a certified Microsoft adExcellence Member. This means that I have:

• Passed the Microsoft adExcellence accreditation exam
• Managed at least one Microsoft adCenter account
• Accepted the terms of the Microsoft adExcellence program

You can visit my special profile here.

To all of you clients and potential clients out there, know that we at Impression Search are 100% prepared for the Yahoo! to Microsoft transition. Feel free to contact us any time if you have any questions.

Happy searching,

Erin

Ever since Yahoo! and Microsoft announced their impending alliance back in February of this year, many clients have approached me with questions about what this change will mean for them. After addressing these questions individually, I thought it best and easiest for the rest of our current and potential clients to summarize my feelings in a quick list of positives and negatives.

Pros:

A larger marketplace. Yahoo!’s, Microsoft’s, and partners’ combined audience: 561 million searchers worldwide, 150 million searchers in the US

More power behind future innovation and development in search

A single interface (Microsoft’s AdCenter) to manage all campaigns

A better experience for searchers, translating into more opportunities for advertisers

A relatively quick implementation timeline (most accounts are expected to be transitioned by this year’s holiday season)

Cons:

All advertisers will use Microsoft’s AdCenter platform (which I believe is less user-friendly than Yahoo!’s)

Many of Yahoo!’s newly-developed products will most likely disappear until/unless they are re-released under the Search Alliance (i.e. Rich Ads in Search; Search Retargeting; use of favicons)

Clients currently using Yahoo! will in some way be starting from scratch once their accounts are moved over to AdCenter

More advertisers -> more competition -> higher cost-per-click (CPC)

While I do believe that this new Search Alliance will be a good thing for our clients, I can’t help but feel a bit nostalgic when I consider that the ‘creator’ of search PPC (GoTo which become Overture which became Yahoo! Search Marketing) is effectively disappearing. Yet it is very exciting to see how far PPC has come since those long ago Overture days, and I look forward to becoming acquainted with the Yahoo!/Microsoft powerhouse.

The brand new ImpressionSearch.com is finally here! We and our web designers have traveled a long road to get to this point, but it sure has been well worth the wait. We couldn’t be happier with the final product. We’ve got some great new features that we’re super excited to share with you, including:

- The Learning Center that provides PPC ‘newbies’ with lots of tools and information to help them get comfortable with all things PPC. We’ve even included a list of common PPC myths as well as a selection of best practices that we’ve come to rely on over the years.

- The About Us section that includes our updated company history and information about our company values, our industry experience, and our Value Partner program.

- The Praise section that includes a bunch of new and exciting client testimonials.

The timing of this website launch couldn’t be more appropriate, as Impression Search just celebrated its third anniversary! This whole process has allowed us to take a step back and reflect on how far we’ve come. I can’t believe that it was just three years ago that I was saying goodbye to my corporate colleagues, excited yet scared to death of the idea that I was going to be completely on my own. And now here I am, running a successful business and having the time of my life. What a privilege to be able to come to work each day and interact with such an amazingly talented group of clients and associates.

So to all of our past and current clients- we couldn’t have gotten where we are today without your support and loyalty. And to our potential clients- you’ve found us at a great time!

A special thanks goes to the folks at Tricia Neill Design for all of their hard work and dedication to creating such a fabulous website. We couldn’t have asked for better service or expertise.