September 16th, 2010
From Overture to Yahoo! Search Marketing and now MSN adCenter, Yahoo’s paid search results have been powered by many different interfaces over the years. As of October 1st, MSN AdCenter will now power the paid search results of both Yahoo! and Bing. Migration is already underway as Yahoo has been assisting in various campaign transfers. AdCenter has an automated tool that will also take your existing Google or YSM campaigns and import them into their interface. The Google AdWords option is suggested since there is better comptabilty between AdWords and AdCenter.
I sure do miss the classic Overture interface. The bidding setup was a joy to advertisers, but along came Yahoo! Search Marketing, also known as the “Panama” interface. I eventually came to appreciate this interface, despite its flaws. If you’re a Safari user, you know what I’m talking about…
MSN AdCenter has always been my least favorite interface of the Big 3. I hope they finally put some resources into it given the boost in users it’s about to receive.
Tags: Bing, msn adcenter, overture, yahoo search marketing
Posted in Pay-Per-Click Advertising, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine News | No Comments »
September 10th, 2010
Never to be outdone, Google announces Google Instant which shows search results as you type. Just as Bing was finishing up their merger with Yahoo, Google counters with something that could realistically sink Bing’s admirable attempts to overtake Google’s dominant run.
For web site owners, Google Instant doesn’t change how sites are ranked, but it does change how people search. Having tested it, Google Instant definitely saves time from having to press return and re-enter keyword phrases. The key is still the quality of the results, not the speed of a search, so Bing is going to have make sure their results are in fact, “smarter.”
Advantage, Google.
Posted in Search Engine News | No Comments »
September 10th, 2010
By now, you’ve heard about the merger between Bing and Yahoo. As of last week, Yahoo’s natural search results now reflect this much anticipated partnership. If your Yahoo natural rankings have changed, for better or worse, now you know why. Your Bing rankings are now your Yahoo! rankings so from an SEO standpoint, there are only two algorithms to worry about now.
It’s worth noting that Bing has made some admirable attempts the past year to compete with industry-giant, Google, and powering Yahoo is its most aggressive attempt yet.
Posted in Search Engine News | No Comments »
March 2nd, 2010
Microsoft’s pursuit of search giant, Google, has intensified so much that many believe the recent antitrust complaints filed against Google were triggered by none other than Microsoft. It’s somewhat ironic considering Microsoft has had their fair share of antitrust complaint history. Microsoft has responded that Google should address the complaints first and foremost rather than point fingers at them.
With the recent Microsoft-Yahoo merger, it will now be even more interesting to see how the search market competition plays out.
Tags: Google, Microsoft
Posted in Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine News | No Comments »
February 24th, 2010
The U.S. Department of Justice has officially approved the Yahoo!-Microsoft alliance.
Microsoft’s search engine, Bing, will provide the search results for Yahoo! enabling Microsoft to have the best chance at taking down industry-giant, Google. The transition in the search results is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Tags: Bing, Google, yahoo!
Posted in Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine News | No Comments »
February 16th, 2010
Various reports are stating that the Yahoo! and Microsoft deal from July 2009 is expected to be approved this week by the European Commission. Any opposition to the deal at this point would have to come from the US. So far, the deal has been widely supported.
To recap the deal framework, Yahoo! search results would be powered by Bing including sponsored ads. Yahoo! is relieved of many search associated costs but maintains their brand name, signature look and features. Yahoo! and Microsoft would combine for 28% of the search market share which is still dwarfed by Google’s 65%, but this is still the biggest threat to Google in quite some time.
Tags: Bing, Google, Yahoo-Microsoft Merger
Posted in Search Engine Marketing | No Comments »
