Panamania! Yahoo To Test Google Ads

Wednesday, April 9, 2008 By Clay | Comments (0)

In an attempt to explore alternatives to the Microsoft deal and/or entice MS to increase their offer, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Yahoo will run a small test of Google ads on their site.

From the WSJ:

” Yahoo Inc. said it will carry search advertising from Google Inc. as part of a test effort that could lead to a broader partnership and boost Yahoo’s leverage in its ongoing takeover standoff with Microsoft Corp.

The test will last up to two weeks and involve no more than 3% of Yahoo’s Web search queries, the Sunnyvale, Calif., Internet company said. It is designed for Google and Yahoo to evaluate the revenue potential of a broader search ad sales outsourcing arrangement, according to people familiar with the matter. They have been discussing such an arrangement as part of Yahoo’s pursuit of alternatives to Microsoft’s unsolicited acquisition offer. Yahoo views the latest test partly as a way to demonstrate its belief that it is worth more than Microsoft has offered, one of the people says.”

Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft have all commented on the news.

More coverage and analysis:

• Techcrunch: Yahoo Provokes Microsoft With Google Adsense For Search Trial
• Search Engine Land: Confirmed: Yahoo To Test Google Ads
• Mashable: Yahoo Close To Search Advertising Deal With Google
• AP: Microsoft’s Official Comment
  

Comments (0) | Categories: Search Engine Industry News | Tags: adsense, google, microsoft bear hug, yahoo    |  Popularity: 85% [?]

A Giant Leap For Semantic Search?

Thursday, March 13, 2008 By Clay | Comments (0)

Amit Kumar has posted more information on Yahoo Search’s Open platform. The open platform is welcome news and a fantastic move by the Yahoo team!

I encourage you to read Amit’s post. Here is the key takeaway…

“By supporting semantic web standards, Yahoo! Search and site owners can bring a far richer and more useful search experience to consumers. For example, by marking up its profile pages with microformats, LinkedIn can allow Yahoo! Search and others to understand the semantic content and the relationships of the many components of its site. With a richer understanding of LinkedIn’s structured data included in our index, we will be able to present users with more compelling and useful search results for their site. The benefit to LinkedIn is, of course, increased traffic quality and quantity from sites like Yahoo! Search that utilize its structured data.”

Could this be the catalyst for the semantic web movement? Publishers now have an incentive to properly markup their pages to help spiders infer meaning. Hopefully the other major search engines catch on to what Yahoo is doing. Congrats to the Yahoo Search team!

Additional Reading:

• TechCrunch: Yahoo Embraces The Semantic Web - Expect The Internet To Organize Itself In A Hurry
• Mashable!: Yahoo Search Monkey Reveals More Details on Developer Platform
• ZDNet / The Semantic Web: Yahoo Embraces The Semantic Web?
• The Social Times: Yahoo Tries To Out Open Facebook
• Search Engine Land
  

Comments (0) | Categories: General | Tags: open platform, semantic search, yahoo    |  Popularity: 100% [?]