Yahoo has announced that their paid inclusion program will cease at the end of this year. Partners were informed yesterday (such as here and here), and a Yahoo representative confirmed the move on a panel discussion moderated by Search Engine Land Editor-in-Chief Danny Sullivan at the iProspect/Range Online Media Client Summit today. We've also received a statement from Yahoo, which is posted below. Yahoo wasn't sure how they would handle paid inclusion when asked on the Yahoo/Microsoft press conference a few months back. Historically, there has been a lot of controversy over paid inclusio [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Top News | Yahoo: Search | Yahoo: Search Ads

This morning, many Yahoo advertisers received an email from Rust Consulting letting them know, they are included in a legal settlement over Yahoo search ads. The settlement web site, which is at inreyahoosettlement.com explains that the "lawsuit alleges that customers contracted for targeted ad placements through two products, "Sponsored Search" and "Content Match" (and predecessor products provided by Overture Services, Inc. and GoTo.com, Inc.) and that Yahoo! breached its contract with its customers by allowing Yahoo! ads to be displayed in spyware, domain name parking sites (bulk registrat [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Legal: Clickfraud | Yahoo: Legal | Yahoo: Search Ads

The Yahoo Search Blog announced that BOSS developers can now add Yahoo Search ads in their search results. This will give developers a way to help monetize the BOSS applications they have built. How do you get ads in your BOSS results? You have to apply for approval by one of Yahoo's 3rd party syndication partners, Domain Development Corp (DDC). You can enroll at signup.ddc.com. This means Yahoo is not directly supporting the service or providing direct reporting, DDC will be doing that. Currently, DDC is the only one handling this for Yahoo. Yahoo did make a point to say that this c [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Yahoo: Search Ads | Yahoo: Search Builder

The Yahoo Search Marketing Blog announced the search ads displayed on Yahoo Search are now filtered based on the filtered sites you select on the left bar. For example, here is a search for a product in Yahoo Search: Notice all those ads? Well, when I filter the results to Amazon only, Yahoo only shows an Amazon ad: [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Yahoo: Search Ads

The Yahoo Search Blog announced there are several features coming to Yahoo search ads, such as a desktop management tool, integrated rich ads, network bidding control and more. Specifically: Yahoo Search Marketing Desktop Tool, similar to Google's desktop tool to manage AdWords, that will allow advertisers to manage their search campaigns offline. Trust me, this is a feature advertisers have been waiting for, for a long time. Want a preview? Ask your search representative or use this form. Integrated Rich Ads management for some advertisers later this month. That means advertisers ca [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Top News | Yahoo: Search Ads

The Yahoo Search Marketing Blog announced that your search ads will now automatically be displayed on iPhone & Android mobile phones. Yes, Yahoo said, this is an automatic opt in for all advertisers. Yahoo said, "As of today, your ads should begin appearing immediately on these devices for relevant searches, if they have not already." Yahoo boasted, if you didn't have your ads on mobile devices, then "we’ve done it for you." I assume there is an easy way to opt out, if you specifically do not want to show your ads on these devices? Here is a picture of the ads: There are also [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Yahoo: Mobile & Go | Yahoo: Search Ads

It's time for an online advertisers bill of rights. So says Harvard assistant professor Ben Edelman, who has spent years researching Internet advertising and compares the current landscape to a "wild west." Edelman recognizes the "staggering" opportunity that online advertising provides, but says the current system has problems that "threaten to destabilize online advertising—wasting advertisers' budgets, slowing transition to online formats, and reducing payments to online publishers." In his just-published proposal, Edelman outlines five-point bill of rights for anyone advertising onlin [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Google: AdWords | Microsoft: Bing Ads | Search Ads: General | Yahoo: Search Ads

The Yahoo Search Marketing blog announced the new pricing changes are now in affect within the auction pricing model used by Yahoo Search Marketing. Overall, Yahoo said most advertisers should notice a decrease in their click spend. Yahoo also announced a new report that shows which Yahoo partners are clicks are coming from and how well they are performing. The report is named the ad delivery report and can be used to determine which partners you should block from displaying your ads. On the Microsoft front, adCenter has added a "Ad Preview" tool. The tool doesn't just show you a p [...]

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

I just received an email from the Yahoo Search Marketing team that discusses how they will be changing the pricing model for search ads run through them. It is not 100% clear to me exactly how this will work, so I will cut and paste the email below and follow up with Yahoo to find out the core details to this pricing update. As you know, when you advertise with Yahoo!, your traffic can come from both Yahoo! sites and partners' sites in our distribution network. As part of an ongoing effort to strengthen our marketplace, Yahoo! plans to soon expand the adjustments we make to click charges b [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Yahoo: Search Ads

Danny and I had an opportunity to talk with Microsoft SVP Yusuf Mehdi and Yahoo EVP Hilary Schneider earlier this morning. Both were instrumental in the deal and will be deeply involved going forward. They characterized the parties' search integration as a long-term partnership, which implies ongoing cooperation and a high degree of collaboration. We had a limited time to get a range of questions out but we were able to get a bit more clarity than we had from just the conference call and press release this morning. Yahoo is going to be doing "premium search" sales. What is "premium searc [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Microsoft & Yahoo Search Deal | Microsoft: APIs | Microsoft: Bing | Microsoft: Bing Ads | Microsoft: Business Issues | Top News | Yahoo: Partnerships | Yahoo: Search | Yahoo: Search Ads

As expected, Microsoft and Yahoo have finally struck a deal, one that with regulatory approval, they hope will be in place by early 2010. Microsoft has issued a press release and created a minisite about the deal. A press conference is happening later today (which we'll live blog), and we'll have continuing coverage. The details so far: The term of the agreement is 10 years Microsoft will acquire an exclusive 10 year license to Yahoo!'s core search technologies, and Microsoft will have the ability to integrate Yahoo! search technologies into its existing web search platforms [Note f [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Microsoft & Yahoo Search Deal | Microsoft: Bing Ads | Microsoft: Business Issues | Microsoft: Partnerships | Top News | Yahoo: Business Issues | Yahoo: Partnerships | Yahoo: Search | Yahoo: Search Ads

There are reports coming out of the Wall Street Journal and AllThingsD that a search/ads deal between Microsoft and Yahoo will be announced within the next 24 hours. According to the Journal's coverage: The likely deal, which has yet to be approved by either company and could still be delayed further, involves Yahoo agreeing to use Microsoft's search engine on its own sites. But in a shift from earlier discussions, Yahoo would handle selling the text ads that appear next to the search results for its sites and some Microsoft sites, say these people, boosting Yahoo's share of the search advert [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Microsoft: Bing Ads | Microsoft: Business Issues | Microsoft: Partnerships | Yahoo: Partnerships | Yahoo: Search | Yahoo: Search Ads

A report analyzing traffic and click-through rates from ad network Chikita finds that "Bing users are over 50% more likely to click an ad on your site than Google users." What this means, according to the post, is those who arrive at third party sites via Bing click more frequently on ads on those sites than those coming through Google. TechCrunch offers a bit more detail and speculation about why this might be (i.e., "the law of large numbers"). According to Chikita, the respective click rates are: Google: .97 percent Yahoo: 1.24 percent Bing: 1.5 percent Bing appears has made some [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Microsoft: Business Issues | Microsoft: Partnerships | Stats: Compete | Stats: comScore | Stats: General | Stats: Hitwise | Stats: Search Behavior | Stats: Size | Top News | Yahoo: Display Ads | Yahoo: Partnerships | Yahoo: Search Ads

Microsoft reported worse-than-expected earnings yesterday. The company was about a billion dollars off analysts consensus expectations. According to the Microsoft release, the company had huge revenues but still missed: $13.10 billion for the fourth quarter ended June 30, 2009, a 17% decline from the same period of the prior year. Operating income, net income and diluted earnings per share for the quarter were $3.99 billion, $3.05 billion and $0.34 per share, which represented declines of 30%, 29% and 26%, respectively, when compared with the prior year period. For the full fiscal year reve [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Microsoft: Bing | Microsoft: Bing Ads | Microsoft: Business Issues | Microsoft: Employees | Microsoft: Partnerships | Yahoo: Partnerships | Yahoo: Search | Yahoo: Search Ads

Yahoo’s Rich Ads in Search (RAIS) combine paid search with rich media to further engage consumers within Yahoo search results. These ads provide an effective and clever approach to cross-channel marketing. With these new ads, advertisers are given the opportunity to market their business beyond the typical paid search ad copy. Their Yahoo paid search ad is complemented with an image that can be clicked-through to a web site, custom search boxes to refine a search, or a video that can be played directly from the Yahoo results pages. Depending on an advertiser’s overall objectives, Ya [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Video | Video Search | Yahoo: Search Ads

After an apparently successful limited trial, Yahoo is rolling out a program that targets small businesses (SMBs) for self-service display advertising on its network and through RightMedia, its ad exchange. The DIY portal is a collaboration between Yahoo and AdReady, which supplies the back end and the ad templates. (Google earlier introduced a similar, though less elaborate product.) The templates can be sorted by best performing (CTRs are exposed), most used and newest. Advertisers can use their own ads as well. Ads can be targeted by geo, content category or Yahoo property. They show on [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Yahoo: Display Ads | Yahoo: Partnerships | Yahoo: Publisher Network | Yahoo: Search Ads

The Yahoo Search Blog announced they are now testing favorite icons (favicons) in the search ads. For example, a search for expedia may return an ad that shows Expedia.com's favicon. Here is a picture: Why is Yahoo testing this? Yahoo said: Well, it’s just one more way for users to know they’re really looking at your site, which will improve the search experience. And if they know you’re really what they searched for, they may click on you more frequently, helping your click-through rate and improving your quality score. If you do not want your ads to show the favicon, j [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Yahoo: Search Ads

As expected, Yahoo earnings were down, about 13 percent YoY. According to the earnings press release: Yahoo! Inc. today reported revenues of $1,580 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2009, a decrease of 13 percent from the first quarter of 2008.  Excluding the impact of currency rate fluctuations, revenues for the first quarter of 2009 would have declined 8 percent from the first quarter of 2008.  The Company’s non-GAAP operating cash flow for the first quarter of 2009 of $409 million exceeded the midpoint of the outlook range provided by the Company last quarter. Query volume was [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Top News | Yahoo: Business Issues | Yahoo: Display Ads | Yahoo: General | Yahoo: Outside US | Yahoo: Search Ads

SEM tool provider AdGooroo today released a report that explores ad coverage per keyword among the big three engines in Q1 2009; it's a hypothetical proxy for search revenues. The report concludes, among other things, that Yahoo has gained advertiser share and coverage (largely at Microsoft's expense) during the quarter: The biggest surprise this quarter, however, is a possible comeback for Yahoo!, which had been losing ground to Live Search since September. AdGooroo tracked a 10 percent increase in active first-page advertisers during the first quarter, suggesting that Yahoo! may have finall [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Search Marketing: General | SEM Industry: Stats | Stats: Spend Projections | Yahoo: Search Ads

Yahoo has added several enhanced targeting features to its search marketing advertising solution. The features include enhanced geo-targeting, ad scheduling, demographic targeting, and added bid adjustments based on those targeting features. In addition, Yahoo has improved the content match technology to make the ads more relevant to the publisher's content. The new features are available for both sponsored search and content match on day one. They can be targeted at the campaign level or on the more granular ad group level. In addition, they will be available in both the advertiser con [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Top News | Yahoo: Search Ads