The next time you perform a search on Yahoo, you may notice some new listings in its search results. When unveiling its third-quarter earnings, Yahoo also disclosed an unlikely partnership with Google that allows it to display some of Google’s organic and paid listings.
For more than a decade now, Google has remained the dominant figure in the search engine industry. In fact, a recent comScore report found Google to account for 64.4% of all U.S.-made searches, while Microsoft came in second with 20.1%, and Yahoo in third with 12.7%. In an effort to capture a greater piece of the search engine market, Yahoo signed a deal with Bing a few years back, allowing Yahoo to use Microsoft’s search algorithm for its own engine. But it now appears that Yahoo is taking things one step further by striking a similar deal with Google.
So, what does this new deal mean? According to the SEC filings, Yahoo can pull and use both non-paid, organic search listings, as well as premium, “sponsored” listings from Google. In exchange for displaying its ads, Yahoo will receive a portion of revenue. The new deal took effect October, with an end date specified for 2018.
What’s really interesting about this deal is that Yahoo has the discretion to accept or deny Google listings as it deems fit. If Yahoo doesn’t like a particular ad or organic search listing, it can choose to block it. Regardless of whether or not it has a justifiable reason, Yahoo retains full control over which listings is shows and which ones it doesn’t.
“In October, the Company reached an agreement with Google that provides Yahoo with additional flexibility to choose among suppliers of search results and ads,” said Yahoo. “Google’s offerings complement the search services provided by Microsoft, which remains a strong partner, as well as Yahoo’s own search technologies and ad products.”
From an Internet marketers perspective, this deal could be a game-changer, as it will impact both organic search listings in Yahoo, as well as paid search listings. If your business relies on Yahoo traffic to generate sales, you’ll want to advertise and optimize your website for Google. In doing so, you will increase your site’s exposure on Google and Yahoo.
You can learn more about this partnership by checking out the SEC filing at http://sqoop.com/details/sec/0001193125-15-348230#form.
