14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is moving ahead with the ad serving transition between Yahoo Search Marketing and its own adCenter.
The move is part of the overall development of the Microsoft and Yahoo search alliance, which involves not just Yahoo search being powered by Bing, but also the two company’s online advertising services.
As of this week, the ad serving for Yahoo Search Marketing is starting to migrate to the adCenter platform, Microsoft informed.
Advertisers with Yahoo Search Marketing accounts will be able to notice that their adCenter accounts will relay Yahoo traffic, instead of their Yahoo Search Marketing account.
For the time being, Microsoft is advising customers that want their ads displayed on the Yahoo Search network, to not abandon their Yahoo Search Marketing accounts.
This is temporary, and it will only be required until the anti-Google duo wrap up the Yahoo Search ad serving transition to adCenter.
“Make sure you have an adCenter account in place, complete with campaigns and budget, no later than October 25 to prepare for the end of the ad serving transition. Otherwise, your ads will no longer be displayed on the Yahoo! Search network,” explained Microsoft’s Tina Kelleher.
“Keep in mind that North American audiences in the United States, English-speaking Canada and French-speaking Canada are considered three different markets in adCenter, so you’ll need to create separate ad groups with a different language and market setting for each of these.”
At this time Microsoft and Yahoo estimate that the transition from Yahoo Search Marketing to Microsoft Advertising adCenter will be completed by the end of October 2010.
The two companies are also ready to deal with customers that have Yahoo Search Marketing pre-paid account balances.
“If you transitioned your Yahoo! Search Marketing account to adCenter through the transition tool and your remaining balance is greater than $25 at the time the ad serving transition has completed, Yahoo! will automatically transfer your balance to your adCenter account,” Kelleher noted.
“If you transitioned your Yahoo! Search Marketing account to adCenter using the transition tool and your balance is $25 or less at the time the ad serving transition has completed, or if you did not transition your account, your remaining balance will be refunded to you by Yahoo.”