With the deal between Bing and Yahoo! finally, kinda, sorta resolved and heading to the regulators to check it over, it’s becoming clear that Yahoo! has not given up the ghost, rolled over and played dead, or sailing quietly into the sunset. Wow, three metaphors in one sentence — it must be Friday 
The deal was signed, and among the financial considerations:
- An extra $150 for Yahoo! to add to the $50 million each year Microsoft will pay them for the first 3 years of the 10-year contract
- 88% of ad revenue goes to Yahoo!, even though the technology to run those ads will come from Microsoft
Yahoo!’s recent actions certainly reinforce its intentions to continue to be an online presence. Despite the obvious continuation of merger-acquisition-related talks through all of 2009, with intensity peaking when an actual deal was announced in July, Yahoo! has continued to develop new features and play catch-up to Google when possible. For example, Yahoo! recently announced the integration of real-time Twitter results into the search setup (together with a more static “Twitter” tab on the search area). A number of other features added throughout the year include:
- A big improvement in the Search Assist technology taking it across the entire Yahoo! network and displaying categories of related material
- Search Pad, which lets you take actual notes on searches you have run and save or share those notes (good for comparison shopping to keep track of your thoughts on items as well as URLs to track them down later once you’ve made your final decision)
- The SearchMonkey integration to provide enhanced search results in a number of ways
- Improved video search that lets you search for episodes featuring popular characters in the show or clips of your favorite actor/actress
None of this even considers the possibilities that may arise from the Facebook-Yahoo! deal. In short, Yahoo! seems to have started to turn things around in a semi-positive way just when many thought the future looked bleak for independent survival. However, with a flock of developers soon headed to Microsoft to work on the integration called for by the agreement once regulators have finished with it, will there be enough energy left at Yahoo to fight the good fight and continue to keep up with the competition? Only time will tell.
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About the Author
Frances trained as an historian, doing grad work in colonial Latin American history. She worked 8 years in market research, primarily in magazine survey research, and from there moved into editorial work for a variety of magazines. She has lived in California and Minnesota, but now resides on an island off the West Coast of Canada, her birth country. Frances has been with Search Marketing Standard print magazine since its inception, first as an Editor and then Associate Editor. When not working, she can be found enjoying the incredible West Coast weather and walking her dog.
Tags
Yahoo, Yahoo Search Marketing, Yahoo-Microsoft Deal
[...] Yahoo! Is Not Yet Down For The Count, Search Marketing Standard [...]
Yahoo is, sadly, a thing of the past. It may not be down yet, but it’s days are numbered. M$oft is a technology company that moved into the search market. Google is a search engine that moved into the technology markets. Yahoo is neither, which is why it will never have the capital to compete. Facebook will become just another social fad – ask Murdoch how MySpace is paying out.
[...] Yahoo! Is Not Yet Down For The Count, Search Marketing Standard [...]