早在2006年，我就参加过Yahoo的测试成为一个搜索营销专家。那个测试有些搞笑，其中的一些问题甚至要求答题者认定Yahoo是最伟大的，比如“在全球的搜索引擎中，哪个有超过几百万的搜索量？”选项是：Google, Yahoo, MSN, 以及Ask.当然答案肯定是Yahoo.我通过了，把证书打印出来，然后从未再瞧过。

好吧，那个项目中断很长时间了，但是因为我有2006年的荣誉证书，我收到了尝试Yahoo与MSN合并之后产物之一的AdExcellence考试的优惠码。

好吧，我喜欢挑战。下面是我在AdCenter AdExcellence这个有些刺激的考试中学到的！

新手入门

有一个学习中心可以免费学习。但是它是视频格式的。每一个课程都是。时长大约2个小时35分钟。这还未算上加载2时间及记笔记的时间。你知道我怎么能比看视频更快些吗？阅读u.ni知道谁大概很快可以通过这个考试吗？在这个行业多年并熟悉界面的广告商。视频对于完全的新手是很棒的，但是仅仅尝试通过这么考试的我们呢？这就是这个系列诞生的原因。

首要的事情，首先-要参加这个考试，你必须拥有一个Windows Live ID。然后，创建个人资料。

通过这门考试的好处是，可以获得一个logo/徽章。公司有3名或更多员工通过考试的，可以成为adExcellence Membership Directory成员，毫无渲染意味，现在只有1000个成员。在华盛顿只有2个，而且其中一个是微软员工。（看上去似乎如果你留空公司名，你将会排名到首页）

基本-这个考试如果无法一次性通过，每次需花费50美金。有100个问题，90分钟的考试时间。通过后有效期是1年，一年后需再次考试（并付款）。

你看本系列的真正目的-如何在不看每个视频每分钟的情况下通过这个考试。

（警告！本系列仅供资深付费搜索营销人员-他们或者已经用过并一直在用adCenter，或者通过了AdWords认证，并且希望通过这个考试。如果你才刚刚使用adCenter，去看视频吧。）

#1什么是Microsoft AdCenter? (2:17)

这是很基础的东西-PPC是什么，怎么充分利用广告费用，诸如此类。跳过。

#编辑指南 (12:24)

The transition here is steep if you were new to PPC. Here’s 2mins of what PPC is and now here’s 12 minutes to scare the heck out of you. This video goes over a myriad of adCenter policies pertaining to:

• Ad Content, style: can’t use “click here,” superlatives, slogans.
• Spelling, grammar, abbreviations
• Capitalization, punctuation
• Character limits
• Phone numbers
• Duplication in ads and promotional ad copy: “free” is allowed if the terms and conditions are listed in the ad.
• Disallowed content guidelines:
• Hate speech, profanity and defamation: can’t say things like “view compromising photos of X here”
• Religious and political content: has to be informative content about individuals or organizations.

Basically the same as AdWords here. Follow their character limits, capitalization, good spelling and grammar and you’re good to go. Also don’t call anyone’s mama a bad name.

The biggest takeaway from the 12minutes for experienced users: phone numbers in ads. They can only appear in if it’s part of the advertiser’s name and does not include a call to action. So 1-800 Flowers is OK to use in ads, but “call 1-888-123-4567 for more” is not allowed.

Mobile ads can have phone numbers in the ads, but no special characters.

你能与不能投什么广告：

• No “legally questionable” business opportunities (ponzi/pyramid schemes, chains or solicitation of funds)Downloads must be initiated
• Ads ARE allowed for wine & beer and alcohol related items (shot glasses, liquor filled candy), smoking cessation and tobacco accessories.
• NO ads for hard alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, electric cigarettes, nicotine cartridges, illegal drugs & paraphenalia, certain health supplements, herbs and at home HIV tests.
• Ads ARE allowed for legal gun parts, paintball guns, stun guns, knives, traditional martial arts weapons, marked immitation guns. bows, pepper spray “as permitted by law.” (You have to check what the local laws are).
• NO ads for knives as weapons (you advertising that’s what they should be used for), firearms, “integral parts,” militia ordinance, grenades, fireworks/pyrotechnics.
• NO ads for bootleg products, fake IDs, devices to avoid traffic tickets, evade security systems, beat drug tests, receive free cable, webcams/surveillance equipment for “spying for pleasure.”

赌博

****Hotels and Casinos can advertise but not for online gambling- promotions or links to online gambling must not present, no matter how many clicks away “it must be impossible for your site visitor to navigate from your website to any prohibited gambling or wagering content.”

In the UK- there’s a gambling addendum: as long as the establishment is registered with the UK Gambling Commission and does not accept bets from US residents, they can advertise. In fact, the UK National Lottery advertises on MSN.

Contests are OK to advertise as long as there’s no gambling, includes terms & conditions, complies with local state and federal regulations.

药品（包括宠物药品）

• Ads ARE allowed for information, over the counter drugs, insurance, medical supplies, healthy and beauty items, vitamins, weight loss aids
• Online pharmacies must be accredited by the NABP VIPPS program or VIPPS, online Canadian pharmacies need CIPA approval.
• Ads are NOT allowed in the UK for any prescription items

成人广告项目

Requires an application with adCenter to participate, but once you’re accepted…

• Ads ARE allowed for movies, books, toys, magazines, partial/complete nudity, sex scenes, porno names, porn star names, dating with intent for sexual encounters
• Anyone can advertise for personals, dating, sexual health items/educational info- but links to adult materials must be at least 2 clicks away from your landing page.

#3着陆页面相关性及质量指南 (5:21)

Pretty basic stuff:

• Landing pages must work, not be under construction, not have session specific URLs, no frames or static/dynamic text URLs
• Landing page guidelines CAN vary by country- you’ll have to check for yours.
• Landing pages that are restricted or disallowed: all ads sites, misleading sites, must be able to click back, no fake windows, no pop ups, unders or auto downloads. (Pop ups for language and country preferences are OK)
• Landing pages must have a privacy policy stated or clearly linked to on landers that collect information and opt outs must be available.

#4版权指南 (5:38)

These are country specific, so again, up to you figure out what country you’re in and what not to do.

• No trademarks that “misrepresent”
• Can be a reseller
• Can use a trademark in a informative style- but it must be “truthful & legal.” Basically you can say Nike exploits child workers in Mexico, but you better be able to back it up.
• Can use a competitor’s name if it’s for comparison purposes that has been verified by a 3rd party (just like Google)
• Microsoft does not mediate trademark disputes, you can submit a “concern” online and MS will investigate from there.
• Affiliates! Only one display from a URL will show at a time and the ad with the best CTR is the one that will get shown.

So if you have an affiliate direct linking to your site and their ad is kicking yours in the arse, you are out of luck with MSN. Solve it through the affiliate program.

Copyrights

• No marketing for products or services that bypass copyright protections.

Publicity

• No exploiting a public figure or their likeness for commercial gain

#5点击质量 (3:15)

The video change format here to a new one that doesn’t have the sidebar navigation to tell you which slide you’re on.

• Advertisers are billed for “standard quality” clicks
• Somewhere, adCenter finds “low quality” clicks that are “invalid clicks” and doesn’t bill you for those. They are from users that show low commercial intent, unusual activity or appear to be roboits/test servers.If you want to see how many of those you’ve racked up choose the “low quality clicks” segment to your next adCenter report.
• Legitimate causes of a spike in standard quality clicks are seasonality, sales/discounts, news, trends.
• Report click fraud by sending in the campaign name, ad group name and number, ad identification number, keywords affected and a brief description of the issue.

哈！这就是这个系列的第一部分：Microsoft Ad Center介绍。

原文：http://www.portent.com/blog/ppc/taking-microsoft-adexcellence-exam-pt1.htm