First off, I’ll share a bit about my Panama experience so far. All in all, I think the interface has a lot of potential, with many improvements over the old Direct Traffic Center.
Pros:
* Quicker page loads and simpler, more intuitive navigation
* Fast ad entry and activation
* Ability to run separate Sponsored Search and Content Match campaigns, with separate tracking
* Alerts section warns you immediately about problems or issues with your account
All is not well, however. Cons:
* Glitches in the system won’t allow me to enter certain types of tracking URLs. I had to create an entire new Atlas campaign for my content ads, because for some reason the Panama interface couldn’t handle my old campaign tracking – despite the fact that I’m using the same tracking in ALL my current ads. Makes no sense.
* Problems with geo-targeting, which have been discussed at Search Engine Watch Forums. I was looking forward to using this feature to eliminate Canadian clicks, but I had heard at SES Chicago that there might be problems, and sure enough, it appears there are (although Yahoo jumped in and downplayed them). I’ll hold off for now, until this gets ironed out.
(Editors Note: Apparently the author of the SEW Forum thread asked that it be removed from the forum – so I’ve delinked it here. It’s too bad, in a way, because I was hoping to hear how everything played out. Guess I’ll have to get my info elsewhere!)
* Limits on the number of campaigns. As a Platinum advertiser, I was assured we’d be able to have 100 campaigns, instead of the normal (and way too low) limit of 20. We started out with ~28 campaigns. Well, when I tried to create a new campaign, I ran into a limit – the interface told me I couldn’t add any more new campaigns. So I called Yahoo, and the rep immediately put through an override to get me back to 100. However, it took about 30 minutes to kick in. This was at the end of the day, so I couldn’t create or work on my new campaign until the next morning. That means lost revenue for me and for Yahoo.
* Stupid editorial rejections. This is nothing new for Yahoo, but it’s still annoying. I just had my Content ad for Strictly Slots Magazine rejected. Reason? “Promotes online gambling.” Uh, sorry Yahoo, you’re wrong. It’s a magazine subscription, not online gambling. So now I’ve emailed them with an appeal, and I’m sure I’ll end up calling later to get the ball rolling. Which leads to my final complaint…
* No improvement in responding to emails. I’ve resorted to just calling them instead of sending emails into the black hole. I *never* get replies to my emails. The only reason I emailed them about Strictly Slots is because although it’s 9 a.m. here in Michigan, it’s 6 a.m. on the West Coast, and no one’s home at Yahoo yet. That’s not really their fault, but it’s still annoying. Good customer service departments have longer CS hours to account for time zone differences.
Now, a bit about my blog woes. I’ve read a lot about “the new Blogger” and its ability to host your blog on your own custom domain. I took the plunge a few weeks ago and purchased my own domain, with the goal of locating my blog on my own URL instead of a “blogspot” one. I was thrilled to see that I could just publish my Blogger blog on my domain. Problem is, I can’t get it to work. I followed all the instructions and waited 3 days, but still nothing. I think it has to do with that silly QuickBlog from GoDaddy that I tried to set up. But I really don’t know. I’m a complete novice when it comes to this stuff, so I’m learning by trial and (mostly) error! But, that’s the best way to learn sometimes. Still, I look forward to having my very own domain soon!
Very well written article…it’s nice to know I’m not ALONE in my frustration.