To learn more about Yahoo, also see our Search Engine Land’s Guide To Yahoo page.

Yahoo Answers Hits 300 Million Questions, But Q&A Activity Is Declining

Jul 10, 2012 at 9:02pm ET by Matt McGee

Against what could be considered great odds, Yahoo Answers has reached a pretty stunning milestone: 300 million questions have been asked since the service launched in 2005. But despite that figure, activity on Yahoo Answers is on the decline. The company's announcement today includes these additional statistics: On average, 2 questions are being asked and 6 answered per second. So this means there’s an astonishing 7,000 questions and an incredible 21,000 answers per hour. That's a total of 28,000 questions and answers being posted every hour. But about two years ago, when Y [...]

Why You’re Paying More For Your Brand Terms On Yahoo

Jun 28, 2012 at 9:15am ET by Mark Ballard

Yahoo has suffered through its fair share of turmoil over the last few years: a revolving door of CEOs, significant layoffs, investor revolts, and a declining share of the search space, both paid and organic. One recent bright spot for Yahoo was their first year over year growth in search revenues after traffic acquisition costs (ex-TAC) since their alliance with Microsoft in the fourth quarter of 2010. In fact, before last quarter, Yahoo hadn't shown Y/Y growth in search revenue ex-TAC since they began reporting it in 2009. Not too shabby then, and Yahoo's results were generally well [...]

Yahoo Images With Tiled Design, Latest & HQ Images & Getty Images Deal

Jun 20, 2012 at 4:51pm ET by Barry Schwartz

Yahoo has announced some significant changes to their Yahoo Image and Video Search tools. They include a deal with sourcing Getty Images most recent collections plus an upgraded user interface design with added features to Yahoo Image and Video Search. Yahoo & Getty Images Yahoo extended their partnership with Getty Images to add their high quality new Getty Images to the search database. That is more than 20,000 added images every day by Getty Images’ network of photographers added to Yahoo Image Search every day. Yahoo said this will help them deliver "a more timely experience, su [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Video | Top News | Yahoo: Images | Yahoo: Video

10 Blue Links Be Gone: Yahoo Axis Offers Browser & Visual Search Experience

May 23, 2012 at 11:50pm ET by Greg Sterling

Search launches seem to come in threes. A couple of weeks ago we had Bing Social, then came Google with Knowledge Graph and now Yahoo introduces Axis. When I met with Yahoo earlier this week to hear about it I received the now familiar speech that Yahoo is still very much in search and continuing to "innovate" around the UI and UX. There have been some interesting efforts along those lines on the PC in the past (Yahoo Search Direct), but Axis actually is genuinely different and noteworthy. Three screen experience Axis is available for all three screens: PC (as a browser plug-in), the i [...]

Former Yahoo Executive Pleads Guilty To Securities Fraud Charge Related To Microsoft Deal

May 22, 2012 at 12:06pm ET by Pamela Parker

The Search Alliance between Yahoo and Microsoft had some unintended beneficiaries (now casualties). Yahoo's former senior director of business management, Robert Kwok, has pled guilty to conspiracy to commit securities fraud, after being accused that he told a mutual fund manager in July 2009 that the deal between Yahoo and Microsoft was imminent. Among its many provisions, the deal -- officially announced in late July of 2009 -- called for Microsoft to pay Yahoo $50 million annually, for three years, for implementation costs. The mutual fund manager, Reema Shah, formerly of Ameriprise F [...]

Report: Scott Thompson To Step Down As Yahoo CEO, Ross Levinsohn To Step In

May 13, 2012 at 12:37pm ET by Greg Sterling

Kara Swisher at AllThingsD is reporting that embattled Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson is going to step down for "personal reasons." Swisher has one or more "moles" inside the company and consistently gets inside information -- which generally turns out to be correct. Thompson's "personal reasons," as we all know, are: misrepresenting that he had a computer science degree. Yahoo EVP Ross Levinsohn is reportedly set to become interim CEO, with the apparent hope that he could take the helm permanently. Swisher adds that the situation is still in flux and could change. The board is apparently meet [...]

Yahoo Search Sees 8th Monthly Share Decline — comScore

May 11, 2012 at 12:57am ET by Greg Sterling

It's that time again: April comScore qSearch data are coming out tomorrow. But the financial analysts are releasing it first to their clients and others who've subscribed to their missives. According to our source, comScore will report that both Google and Bing have made small, incremental gains since last month and seen modest growth since last year. One or both are growing, it appears, at Yahoo's expense. AOL and Ask are basically flat. Yahoo is at its lowest point to date and has recorded its eighth straight monthly decline in terms of market share. Our source believes that Yahoo's s [...]

Search Alliance: AdCenter Migration Complete In UK, Ireland And France

May 7, 2012 at 10:11am ET by Pamela Parker

Microsoft and Yahoo -- the Search Alliance -- have announced the completion of the migration of advertisers to the adCenter platform, from Yahoo Search Marketing, in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France. Since they previously migrated all Yahoo algorithmic search results to Bing, the transition is now complete in these countries. The migration has been underway since February. Next up for the transition comes Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Yahoo and Microsoft will start working with partners to make the change this month. The companies have typically offered migration assistant soft [...]

8 Products That Might Be On Yahoo’s Chopping Block

Apr 18, 2012 at 4:47pm ET by Matt McGee

Yahoo's product teams are officially on notice. Shortly after announcing Q1 earnings yesterday, new Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson dropped a bomb during the analysts' call when he said the company will be "shutting down or transitioning roughly 50 properties that don't contribute meaningfully to engagement or revenue." He went on to say that Yahoo's focus will be on its "core media connections and commerce businesses," such as Yahoo News, Yahoo Sports, Yahoo Mail and a few other successful Yahoo properties. But what about the 50 properties that are destined to be shut down or transitioned [...]

Yahoo Q1: Revenue Beats Expectations, Search Up 8 Percent

Apr 17, 2012 at 4:54pm ET by Greg Sterling

A short while ago Yahoo released Q1 earnings, which exceeded financial analysts' consensus estimates. Total revenue was $1.22 billion, up 1 percent year-over-year (YoY). Net earnings were $286 million, representing 28 percent YoY growth. Total search revenue was $470 million, up 3 percent vs. last year. Search revenues (ex-TAC) were up 8 percent to $384 million (vs. $357 in Q1 2011). Total display ad revenues were down 2 percent, however, to $511 million. The search gains came notwithstanding a decline in overall query volume last quarter, according to comScore. New CEO Scott Thom [...]

Microsoft-Yahoo Ad Transition Wrapping Up In UK, Ireland & France

Apr 13, 2012 at 1:37pm ET by Matt McGee

Yahoo search users in the UK, Ireland and France will start to see ads from Microsoft's adCenter next week, as the two companies wrap up the transition that began in 2009 with the MSFT-Yahoo search alliance. As part of the transition, search advertisers that are still on Yahoo's platform in those countries will need to migrate to adCenter because Yahoo Search Marketing accounts will shift to read-only status. But, in a blog post today about the pending change, Microsoft suggests monitoring both accounts during the transition: As Yahoo! ad serving moves to adCenter, and your clicks and im [...]

comScore: Only Search Engine To See Drop In Queries In March Was Yahoo

Apr 11, 2012 at 9:22am ET by Barry Schwartz

comScore has released their US search market share statistics for March 2012 and the results show that the only search engine to see a decline in search queries from March 2011 to March 2012 was Yahoo. Google, Bing, AOL and Ask all saw at least a 5% increase in search queries, whereas Yahoo saw a decline of 5% in the number of search queries. Search Engine market share has not changed much between the various search engines: Google's share of searches in March was 66.4%, compared with 66.4% in February 2012 and 65.7% in March 2011. Yahoo's share of searches in March was 13.7%, compare [...]

Yahoo’s Re-Organization: Search Stays Alive, At Least On Paper

Apr 10, 2012 at 1:42pm ET by Matt McGee

Following last week's layoffs of about 2,000 employees, new Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson announced today an overhaul of the company's structure -- and, despite concerns about the future of Yahoo search, it remains alive. At least in the memo that Thompson sent to Yahoo employees this morning. Yahoo's new corporate structure will take effect on May 1st and have three primary divisions: Consumer - this will have three units: Media, Connections and Commerce Regions - this is the division that serves Yahoo advertisers and is "accountable for all Yahoo revenue" Technology - the infrastructure [...]

Yahoo In A Fight For Its Life

Apr 6, 2012 at 10:17am ET by Greg Sterling

According to Reuters on Tuesday next week the already embattled new Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson will lay out his vision for the company. The pressure will be on to deliver a coherent and convincing plan -- emphasis on convincing. Following the announcement of 2,000 layoffs earlier this week Thompson sought to reassure Yahoo employees in a company memo. A streamlined organizational structure will better enable Yahoo to compete in the future, he reportedly said. That new structure will apparently not include Yahoo Chief Product Officer Blake Irving, who has resigned. His organization took a d [...]

Yahoo Confirms 2,000 Employees Getting the Axe

Apr 4, 2012 at 10:01am ET by Greg Sterling

After several days of rumors, first reported by AllThingsD, Yahoo confirmed this morning that it's restructuring and laying off 2,000 employees: Today, the company will begin the process of informing employees about these changes. As part of that effort, approximately 2,000 people will be notified of job elimination or phased transition. Yahoo! expects to realize approximately $375 million of annualized savings upon completion of all employee transitions. The company currently expects to recognize the majority of an estimated $125 to $145 million pretax cash charge relating to employee sev [...]

Google’s Gags Go Worldwide For April Fool’s Day 2012

Apr 1, 2012 at 3:37am ET by Matt McGee

It was right about this time last year when we gave Google the winner's trophy for a series of gags that put all others to shame. We could do the same again right now, because Google has tried to top itself with another round of April Fool's Day jokes that pretty well span the globe of Google's international properties. Below is a recap of Google's (and a few others) pranks, and we'll do our best to update this as the day goes along. Google Racing: Self-Driving Cars Hit NASCAR The main joke at the moment is Google's "announcement" of a partnership with NASCAR called Google Racing, which b [...]

Will Pending Layoffs Put Final Nail In Yahoo Search?

Mar 30, 2012 at 3:38pm ET by Matt McGee

Whatever is left of Yahoo Search -- and, frankly, that's unclear at this point -- might be gone completely within the next couple of weeks. At AllThingsD today, Kara Swisher is reporting that Yahoo is planning substantial layoffs as early as next week, with a company restructuring to be revealed the week after that. Swisher, who's been correct on things like this in the past, mentions "a half-dozen sources" in reporting on Yahoo's impending plans. Of note for Search Engine Land readers is the discussion of what might happen to Yahoo Search. AllThingsD says that Yahoo has been in talks wi [...]

Microsoft adCenter Re-Intros Yahoo Rich Ads, Tweaks Negative Keywords And Landing Page Functionality

Mar 16, 2012 at 11:13am ET by Pamela Parker

Microsoft Advertising seems to be introducing a new feature a day, these days. Some of the more interesting: the re-introduction of Yahoo Rich Ads In Search (RAIS), changes to negative keyword behavior and the ability to pick specific landing pages per match type. The re-introduction of Yahoo RAIS, mentioned by both Portent and Rimm-Kaufman Group, appears to be Microsoft's answer to Google's sitelinks extensions and product listing ads. It came out of pilot in October and is currently being offered to premium advertisers for their brand and navigational terms. RAIS offers five different [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Microsoft: Bing Ads | Yahoo: Search Ads

Bing And Google Gain Market Share While Yahoo Drops

Mar 8, 2012 at 9:32pm ET by Greg Sterling

The comScore February search market share numbers are being exposed by the various financial and investment firms this evening. Bing continued to gain, while its partner Yahoo lost market share. Google was up compared to January and year over year. Keeping in mind this isn't yet the official comScore release, the following are the numbers for February: Google: 66.4 percent (vs. 65.4 percent a year ago) Bing: 15.3 percent (vs. 13.6 percent a year ago) Yahoo: 13.8 percent (vs. 16.1 percent a year ago) Ask: 3 percent (vs. 3.2 percent a year ago) AOL: 1.5 percent (vs. 1.7 percent [...]

Microsoft adCenter Launches Location Extensions In Ads

Mar 7, 2012 at 5:22pm ET by Chris Silver Smith

Microsoft has announced the launch of Location Extensions in adCenter, after mentioning plans for this, among other new features, nearly a year ago. The Location Extensions allow local business advertisers on Bing and Yahoo! search results to display their addresses and phone numbers within the ads, similar to the Location Extensions in Google AdWords. The interface for adding location extension information is pretty straightforward: The Location Extensions are clearly part of the adCenter team's intention to achieve feature parity with Google AdWords soon, as Eric Enge mentioned las [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Microsoft: Bing Ads | Search Ads | Yahoo: Search Ads

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