Microsoft Advertising Intelligence (MAI), the Excel add-on for keyword research and optimization, is getting an upgrade — jumping all the way from version 5.6 to version 8.

The company says the new version brings in more finely-tuned data from the Yahoo-Bing network on a wider range of keywords and competitive bids. Additionally, information on traffic, demographic and geographic data will be more in-depth, according to Microsoft. The user interface is redesigned, as well, in a way meant to be more intuitive.

Version 8 allows users to refine keywords by date range and using other parameters. Data can also be easily updated in a specific table or across all of the tables at once, depending on user preference.

The new software will also provide access to a collection of pre-designed Keyword Research Templates that bring up frequently-used data.

The tool doesn’t yet include data for mobile devices or from content sites. It’s available in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Ireland and Singapore.  The tool is not currently available in India.

Older versions of MAI will stop working on May 15, so current users must upgrade. To use the Windows-only software, one must have Microsoft Office Excel 2007 or 2010 already installed.

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Microsoft: Bing | Microsoft: Bing Ads | Top News

About The Author: Pamela Parker is a contributing editor for Search Engine Land and Executive Features Editor at Marketing Land. She’s a well-respected authority on digital marketing, having reported and written on the subject since 1998, including a stint as managing editor of ClickZ. She’s also worked to help monetize independent publishers’ sites at Federated Media Publishing. She blogs about media and marketing at The River and about cooking, gardening and parenthood at Free Range. She can be found on Twitter as @pamelaparker. See more articles by Pamela Parker

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