Microsoft Live Product Upload Vs Google Base Product

Posted by TinMan

June 27, 2007

My 2 cents regarding Microsoft’s Live Product Upload. Since this is another free opportunity to drive extra traffic to your products/merchandise I’m sure your already on top of this ;-).

Well here’s my quick and to the point review and how it compares to Google Base Products

Things I like about Microsoft’s Live Product Upload:

They accept your current Google Base Feed. So there is no or very little modification that need to be made to your already existing Google Base feed. Example, you may want to add some tracking parameters to your feed to identify where your traffic is coming from. Most people do.
The RSS/XML Status Feed. I really like this feature. Microsoft’s Live Product Upload provides you with your own feed that allows anyone with a RSS reader to keep up with the Upload success or failures. So instead of logging into the interface to check the feeds status, you can view the feed status via your favorite Feed reader.
Pretty straight. Extremely easy to use out the box, there are only a couple of categories to submit your feed to (25 I think), virtually impossible to screw up.
Also its FREE (so is Google Base)

Things I don’t like about Microsoft’s Live Product Upload:

How long it takes them to process your feed. Gwiz when they say it takes up to 36 hours to process your feed, dude they are not kidding!
No support/representative to contact if help is needed. Just like Google Bsae you can’t just pick up your phone and call a support when your feed is in the crapper.
No Click or Impression data. This is one for the wish list. Both Microsoft’s Live Product Upload and Google Base offer the same type of status information. Google Base “Number of items processed, Number of items succeeded, Number of active items.” Microsoft’s Live Product Upload offers “Total offers, Published offers, Offers with errors” again basically the same type of information.
Microsoft’s Live Product Upload is currently in Beta, and when I say Beta I’m not talking Google Beta where it doesnt actaully feel like it’s in Beta. I mean beta as if sometimes during the middle of the day this system is down.
Again not as many categories as Google Base. We all know Google network is incredible
TRACKING SUCKS…Ok this is the part that I have a big problem with

It would be nice if there where a way to hide that tracking URL so the public could not see who is actually behind the production of the feed example “tracking.searchmarketing” . I figure if two URL’s where allowed in the feed that would solve the problem. One for the display URL, the URL that is actually public facing and the other as a tracking URL, the URL that is used for tracking purposes, maybe in a future release. Overall Microsoft’s Live Product Upload is interesting, give it a try, especially if you’re already running a Google Base Product feed, it’s an easy win.
Also Note there are many other features included in Microsoft’s Live Product Upload, but I’m trying to keep the post short so I didnt list them all.

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