Despite public pronouncements of confidence by Google and Yahoo about the future of their paid search deal, which was partly set up to fend off Microsoft and hostile Yahoo shareholders who wanted a Microsoft takeover, the emerging consensus is that it’s not going to happen. The Wall Street Journal this morning reports that the parties are not coming to terms and the US Justice Department wants concessions that the search engines don’t like. According to the WSJ: The two companies met Thursday with the Justice Department, part of a series of meetings to address the concerns of regulators. While the parties may agree to continue the talks — or they could reach a resolution — there are signs they are unwilling to make compromises to address the Justice Department’s objections . . . The option to scrap the deal has been on the table before, but Google in particular has begun considering it more seriously as Justice Department talks haven’t progressed. … [Read more...] about Google, Yahoo Prepare To Abandon Paid Search Deal?
Search deal
Bing Users Click More, Search Deal With Yahoo Coming This Week
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 incremental gains in search market share since its launch at the end of May. The two most recent roundups of the numbers are here and here. Even though Bing has been well received and has some momentum it doesn’t appear that will quickly translate into significant market share advances. For that reason Microsoft still needs Yahoo’s reach. Turning to the seemingly … [Read more...] about Bing Users Click More, Search Deal With Yahoo Coming This Week
The Microsoft-Yahoo Search Deal, In Simple Terms
What a day! Still trying to digest all the news about the Yahoo Microsoft search deal? So are we. While answers are still coming in, here’s what we know so far. NOTE: The deal has now been approved. See Yahoo & Microsoft Receive Go Ahead To Implement Search Deal. In a nutshell, what just happened? Yahoo and Microsoft both have behind-the-scenes technology used to generate those listings you get when you perform a search. Yahoo’s going to give up their technology and use Microsoft’s. Why’s Yahoo giving up that technology! Running that technology is costly. Rather than own the technology, Yahoo feels its more economical to lease it from Microsoft. Doesn’t it also cost Microsoft a lot of money to run the technology? Yes, it does. But Microsoft has no choice but to run it. It wants to compete with Google. To do so, Microsoft built its search technology several years ago. It’s already doing the work, so leasing its results to Yahoo is sort of like … [Read more...] about The Microsoft-Yahoo Search Deal, In Simple Terms
Yahoo & Microsoft Receive Go Ahead To Implement Search Deal
Yahoo and Microsoft announced they have clearance to implement their proposed search deal where Microsoft will power Yahoo Search and search ads. Today they received “unrestricted” clearance from both the U.S. Department of Justice (see here) and the European Commission to proceed. And proceed they will. Yahoo said the implementation will begin in the next “days.” Here is the announcement: We will have more on this later, but see our archives for more details. SUNNYVALE, Calif. & REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT – News) and Yahoo! (Nasdaq:YHOO – News) announced today that they have received clearance for their search agreement, without restrictions, from both the U.S. Department of Justice and the European Commission, and will now turn their attention to beginning the process of implementing the deal. Implementation of the deal is expected to begin in the coming days and will involve transitioning Yahoo!’s … [Read more...] about Yahoo & Microsoft Receive Go Ahead To Implement Search Deal
Jobs Bio Reveals Intense Anger At Google, But Didn’t Block Search Deals
We already knew that Steve Jobs felt betrayed by Google’s launch of Android but wow, was he really mad. But oddly, despite vowing nuclear war against Google, as his forthcoming bio reveals, he kept Google as the search default in Apple products. The AP obtained a copy of the authorized Jobs bio that comes out next week. In its story, the AP details tidbits of Jobs being so angered by Android: Jobs was livid in January 2010 when HTC introduced an Android phone that boasted many of the popular features of the iPhone. Apple sued, and Jobs told Isaacson [his biographer] in an expletive-laced rant that Google’s actions amounted to “grand theft.” “I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple’s $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong,” Jobs said. “I’m going to destroy Android, because it’s a stolen product. I’m willing to go thermonuclear war on this.” Jobs wasn’t … [Read more...] about Jobs Bio Reveals Intense Anger At Google, But Didn’t Block Search Deals