Microsoft's Answer to Google AdWords Enters Beta August 29

Customers of Microsoft's AdCenter are being invited to participate in the company's first foray in the field of context-sensitive, text-only advertising - the product that many say established Google's permanent presence in online services.

Displaying its typical flair for draining all the poetry out of the naming process, Microsoft Content Ads enters the beta process one week from tomorrow, with the promise of opening up formerly premium MSN ad inventory to low-cost clients.

Perhaps the company should have called it "Context Ads." Like AdWords, customers pay a flat fee to begin Content Ads (in this case, $5), and then submit bids for keywords that may appear in MSN Web pages.

These bids may be separate from what customers may pay for targeted ad content to appear on Microsoft's search pages, such as Windows Live Search. Customers' campaign control pages can keep Content Ads and Search Ads separate, though they will be able to create so-called "hybrid" ad groups that run in both venues.

Initial runs of Content Ads will be limited to MSN Money, Tech & Gadgets, and Real Estate, as well as Windows Marketplace. As the kinks get ironed out of the system, Microsoft should be expanding its reach, though it's uncertain at present how soon Content Ads will break free from the MSN namespace.

New MSN advertisers will automatically be enrolled into the beta, whereas existing clients will be asked to fill out this form by Sunday, August 26 in order to convert their accounts.