Microsoft AdCenter Ad Geo Targeting Issues

The long waited Microsoft Live Search has finally launched the beta version. I did several searches and by accident I found a possible bug with its geotargeting on sponsored search results.

The geotargeting market was automatically being default to English US, though under options it says my location is Pretoria, Gauteng (South Africa). I am 100% sure that I was browsing from South Africa and was not using any browsing proxy to hide my IP address. I was able to see sponsored search results (or PPC ads) that are only meant to be seen by browsing from within the US.

As far as I know, the above URL string should contain ‘&mkt=en-za’ instead of ‘&mkt=en-za’ when I am browsing from within South Africa.

As I do run PPC campaigns on Adcenter for clients. I can be sure that my clients won’t be very impressed when I promised to deliver US targeted clicks, but ended up delivering both US and non-US targeted clicks.

Another reason for this to happen is that it is intentionally built on Live Search beta version. But if so, isn’t it a big step backwards in replicating the current Yahoo! Search Marketing Platform (Overture) in which it does not have geotargeting capability at all?