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The Latest on the Proposed Yahoo Buyout

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According to recent reports, both Google and Microsoft are currently engaged in a bidding war over just who will buy Yahoo, which could lead to new possibilities for Yahoo and the online community, say QueryClick.

Recently, a number of articles and blogs have revealed that Google and Microsoft, two of the biggest names in the online world, are reportedly exploring the possibility of buying another internet search engine, Yahoo. This news comes following a very dramatic and tumultuous year for Yahoo which saw it experience a number of high profile and negative events, such as the dismissal of Carol Bartz and this rumoured acquisition could not only signal the start of a new era for Yahoo, but also for internet users worldwide.

Christopher Liversidge, QueryClick’s Managing Director comments: “While these reports of Microsoft and Google are yet to be officially confirmed by either company, industry professionals and insiders have already been commenting on what acquiring Yahoo would mean for both companies. However, 2011 has proved to be a somewhat difficult year for Yahoo, with the sudden departure of their CEO, Carol Bartz earlier this year showed us that there is a lot going on behind the scenes at Yahoo.”

While Yahoo was once seen as one of the leaders of the online boom in the late 90s and early 00s, they have struggled to build and maintain a profitable business that rivals both Google and Microsoft. Over the last few years, Yahoo has shrunk considerably, and although it is still the second-largest search engine in the world, their interim CEO, Tim Morse, declined to answer any questions regarding Yahoo’s third-quarter earnings and operations report. Which means that this buyout could be a very good thing for Yahoo and its users, say QueryClick,

Chris continues: “Right now, it appears that Yahoo is at a crossroads of sorts, and with two of the biggest and best online companies allegedly considering making offers to buy it, this buyout could open new doors to Yahoo and reveal new opportunities that weren’t available to the company before, which could have a very positive effect on the people that this takeover affects the most: the user.

Via EPR Network
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Closure of MyBlogLog Indicative of The Stifling Effects of The Yahoo Brand According To SEO Experts QueryClick.com

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It comes as no surprise that the MyBlogLog service will be closing this year, following the leaked statement in December 2010 concerning the closure of a stream of services including Delicious, Yahoo Buzz and Yahoo Picks. The leaked screenshot surfaced when it was posted to Twitter by former Yahoo employee and founder of MyBlogLog, Eric Marcoullier.

MyBlogLog was acquired by Yahoo little over 3 years ago for a sum of $10 million. Its purpose was the creation of widgets which site owners could insert in order to track fellow MyBlogLog members who read their blogs. Similar to the idea behind the display of “like” widgets by external websites.

The service is to be officially shut down on the 24th May this year, with any unused subscription portions due to be refunded back to premium service users.

UK SEO company QueryClick.com commented on the familiarity of the ill-fated acquisition:

“The demise of MyBlogLog is the latest in a series of failed acquisitions by the company. Such an anti-climactic relationship has become a miserable familiarity where Yahoo is involved, with many citing the persistent failure to follow up on initial hopes and promises as the major flaw of both sides.”

Several examples can be cited, such as the largely forgotten acquisition of ‘Upcoming’ (a site providing a local and national listing of events) in 2005 and the deal between Yahoo and Flickr dating back to the same year. The latter promised much, but has since withered into the background for anyone except photo enthusiasts, with Facebook consuming up more and more of the photo sharing market. Upcoming on the other hand, was one of the Yahoo services earmarked for mergers or consolidation in the leaked screenshot of December 2010.

The cuts being made are in accordance with the overall plan to reduce costs within Yahoo, who had also made the decision to layoff hundreds of staff at the end of last year.

The demise of so many of Yahoo’s acquisitions can be categorised under one main defect, largely the neglect of the acquired company following the initial phase of thrill and ambition for the future. A spokesperson for SEO experts QueryClick.com pin-pointed the common factor between the doomed Yahoo acquisitions:

“For so many of those start-ups taken on by Yahoo, a primary sense of optimism was soon stifled by an excess of bureaucracy and an inability to agree and get to work on new products or innovations.”

Via EPR Network
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Yahoo Says It’s Focused on The Future, SEO Company Queryclick.com Says It Should Keep Searching

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With the search sphere becoming ever more social, Yahoo’s CEO Carol Bartz promises the struggling company still has its eye on the future – despite falling profits and rumoured downsizing. SEO experts Queryclick.com claim Yahoo is wise to keep an eye on the future, but shouldn’t ignore search.

Last week, the CEO denied rumours that the company – whose stocks were lower at the close of business last Tuesday than they were at the beginning of the year – is considering merging with AOL. Instead she claimed that Yahoo is focused on the future, and that many of the issues the company faces are image based, and only a problem for technological and financial centres.

She said the average user, outside of Silicon Valley and New York, knew what the company stood for, and that part of her role was to educate people that the company is not a Google, it is a Yahoo.

A spokesperson for SEO company Queryclick.com commended Bartz for her stance, and suggested this was the right way for her to approach the criticism. They said: “Yahoo has been in what looks like a difficult position for a long time, but much of this is related to how well the company performs in comparison to Google.

“If you take the Mountain View giant out of the equation, you see a company that still has a lot of things going for it; brand loyalty, a search partnership with Bing and a lot of valuable user data.”

It could be these three areas that will see the company drag up its market value and re-establish its place among the big boys of the online world.

In the wake of the news that Facebook will launch its own alternative to email, Bartz also hit out at those questioning Yahoo’s ability to stay relevant in the face of the continuing online revolution. Speaking at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco, Bartz claimed that rather than simply follow in Facebook’s targeted-ad-footsteps – as while Yahoo has a lot of user data, it is not aggregated in the same way – Yahoo would be concentrating on making sure publishers were able to offer users the right kind of content.

Via EPR Network
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Alibaba Group’s Re-evaluation of Yahoo Ties May Prove Harmful To Yahoo’s Presence in China, warns SEO Experts QueryClick.com

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Alibaba.com has been something of a success story, beginning its internet life as a small start-up and growing into an online force to be reckoned with. Furthermore, it has recently expanded it overseas presence with AliExpress, an online marketplace akin to eBay.

In fact, it seems that a closer relationship with eBay may replace that held between Alibaba and Yahoo. During the two-day Alifest event this month, John Donohoe, chief executive of eBay, made an unlikely appearance, with Alibaba chairman and chief executive Jack Ma announcing that:

“We are competitors in some ways but we have the same dream, the same mission and the same goal to help entrepreneurs…I believe one day we will work very closely together.”

The hinted co-operation between the companies coincides with the deterioration in Alibaba’s ties with Yahoo, whose proposed venture into mainland China, along with the denouncement of Yahoo’s lack of core technologies by Alibaba.com CEO David Wei have formed the basis for the alleged re-assessment of the current partnership between the companies.

Search Engine Optimisation experts QueryClick.com commented on the benefits of increased co-operation between AliExpress and Ebay:

“A close partnership between AliExpress and eBay could be hugely beneficial for both sides, with one providing the other with valuable contacts and insights into their respective markets. The Chinese market is notoriously difficult to master for foreign investors, whilst eBay could provide expert advice for Alibaba’s expanded online presence in the West.”

Following news that Yahoo Hong Kong Managing Director, Tsoi Po-tak, revealed the company’s hope to lure advertising from the Chinese mainland, China’s Alibaba Group – which is 40% owned by Yahoo Inc. – may rethink it’s relationship with the US giant.

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UK SEO Experts QueryClick.com Welcome the Decision to Empower Users in their Consumption of Online Video Advertisements

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A new ad-selecting tool, ASq, is to be employed by major websites in a programme of user empowerment over online advertising. Sites such as Yahoo.com, Hulu.com and MSNBC.com aim to have the tool implemented as of next month, when users will be able to choose which adverts appear in the videos they consume online.

The reasons behind such an alternative method of product promotion are not purely altruistic. In a piece of research carried out by Vivaki, the digital branch of French advertising company Publicis Group, it was revealed that users are twice as likely to click an ad if offered with a selection rather than having a pre-determined advert forced upon them.

According to the global research director at Microsoft’s ads unit, Beth Uyenco Shatto;

“When you give people a choice, they tend to love you because you’re showing them respect.”

Perhaps love is a strong word, but the opportunity for site visitors to be given a say in the promotional material they encounter will represent a drastically fresh approach to an otherwise chore-some element. After all, as Beth Shatto reminds us;

“If it wasn’t for advertising, they [users] wouldn’t be getting the content for free.”

Already, the video advertisement market represents the fastest-growing sector within online advertising. It is expected to continue in a similar, if not more impressive vein, with predictions f r o m IDC that global online video ad spending will reach $11.3 billion by 2014. UK SEO company QueryClick.com cited the continued prosperity of online advertising as a reference for the future success of the medium, informing us that;

“2009 saw advertising spend for online marketing overtake television for the first time, witnessing growth of 4.6% despite the otherwise universal recession experienced by the entire advertising sector.”

Via EPR Network
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The Story So Far In Yahoo’s Drive To Double Its Production Of Original Content

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Since the acquisition of Associated Content in May, Yahoo! have been increasing their efforts to produce a substantially improved amount of original content on their site. Associated Content is a large contributor based source of material, with approximately 380,000 writers.

Yahoo have since capitalised on this move through a smart programme of hiring, and luring in high profile names such as Ben Stiller, whose ‘webisodes’ will be created and broadcast exclusively on the Yahoo! site.

The search engine company have been making strides towards the ultimate goal of 20% original content since 2007, with the formation of Yahoo! Sports. In the development of this new dimension, Yahoo! brought in a series of editors and bloggers tasked with the job of writing original articles.

By moving into this arena, and by taking steps to evolve their business model from a search engine provider to a content provider, Yahoo! are now in direct competition with companies such as AOL and even the New York Times.

In fact, according to eBizMBA.com, Yahoo! News is the most popular news site in the USA with 70 million unique monthly visitors.

SEO experts QueryClick.com commented on Yahoo’s ongoing mission, highlighting the importance of originally produced material:

“For Yahoo!, it is the difference between covering a news story, and breaking one. The benefits of self produced content are significant, insofar as they not only enable the site to move into the more lucrative arena of content generation, but also enhance the reputation of the site as an authoritative figure in journalism.”

In another move towards the 20% target, a new VP and Head of Originals and Video Programming has been hired by Yahoo!. Erin McPherson, a trained lawyer, will be responsible for the development and production of material, as well as brokering various content partnerships between Yahoo! and other content providers.

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Search Engine Bing’s Increased Market Share Hailed As Catalyst For Innovation By Search Engine Marketing Experts QueryClick.com

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After a year online, Microsoft’s search engine Bing has successfully asserted itself as a real industry competitor by securing 12.7% of the search market share in just 12 months.

While Google and Yahoo retain 62.6% and 18.9% of the market respectively, Bing’s achievements are thought to have found a resonance with web users through its ‘consumer friendly approach’ and ‘type less, do more’ strap line.

Microsoft’s mobile web strategy has also added to Bing’s success with an iPhone widget being downloaded by some 4.3 million US users in the past six months alone.

Search engine marketing experts QueryClick praised Bing’s successes in such a highly competitive industry.

A spokesperson for the company said:

“When you think about web search there’s one big player and that’s Google. For years, Google have held sway over the market without much competition but this could all be about to change.

“Microsoft have invested a significant amount of money into positioning Bing as a recognised search engine and will continue to do so. In a bid to offer web users a service that goes beyond that of Google and other rivals, Bing have had to push innovation to its limits and, in turn, Google needs to do its bit to stay one step ahead.”

Looking ahead to the next twelve months, Bing developers revealed that the service would move towards returning search results based on the user’s location which would encourage more relevant suggestions; especially where shopping and travel are concerned.

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Yahoo/Facebook Deal Brings a Level of Consistency to Social Networking According to SEO Specialists QueryClick.com

In an age when many users are active on a multitude of social networking sites, it makes sense that steps have been taken to link Yahoo and Facebook together in a bid to create a more efficient and cohesive web of networks. SEO experts QueryClick.com see this as a clever move by both sides, and is aware of the potential benefits of such a deal.

Yahoo/Facebook Deal Brings a Level of Consistency to Social Networking According to SEO Specialists QueryClick.com

Yahoo and Facebook have recently announced a site tie-up, reasserting further their relationship in the process.

The dealings between the two began last year with Yahoo’s integration of Facebook’s Connect, a service which allows one to log-in to other services using one’s Facebook ID, as well as allowing users to view what their friends have been reading, watching, and enjoying on the social networking site, and to subsequently receive recommendations from such friends.

Speaking of Yahoo’s integration of Facebook’s Connect, Vice President of Yahoo Jim Stoneham explained that:

“You will be able to see your friends’ activities on Yahoo! and share Yahoo! content…directly on your Facebook stream.”

With the extension of the partnership, users with a presence on Yahoo and Facebook have the ability to update both sites simultaneously as the information on one site is automatically transferred to the other.

QueryClick.com believes that such cohesion and consistency enhances the social networking experience, creating comprehensively accurate profiles for users.

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Yahoo!’s Nokia Partnership Could Change Mobile Web Playing Field For Google And Apple Claims Seo Company Queryclick.com

The last few years have seen Yahoo! scrabbling to prove it’s still a relevant, and powerful company in the face of Google’s exponential growth, and SEO experts Queryclick.com think that the company’s new partnership with Nokia is a good step in the right direction.

Yahoo!'s Nokia Partnership Could Change Mobile Web Playing Field For Google And Apple Claims Seo Company Queryclick.com

While Yahoo! has lost a lot of ground when it comes to search, the internet company is quick to point out that it has its fingers in many pies. In fact, CEO Carol Bartz recently claimed that Google needed to up its plans for diversification if it wanted to continue to flourish in the future. Now, Yahoo! has revealed a new partnership with Nokia, a timely move when the growing number of mobile web users is taken into consideration.

The deal aims to prove expanded services for those accessing the internet on their mobile phones and will focus primarily on improving maps, navigation and location based functions. Email will also receive the benefit of the mind share and it is thought that the partnership will help both companies keep costs down.

Search engine optimisation company Queryclick.com SEO company Queryclick.com believes that the deal is a smart move for the internet company. A spokesperson explained: “This is a good choice for both Yahoo! and Nokia and we’re glad to see Yahoo! continuing to keep itself afloat by diversifying and keeping an eye on current trends.

“In our view, it’s good to see team ups that will help drive innovation towards the mobile web. This is a quickly growing market that is still open to innovation and if deals like this can shake up market leaders such as Google and Apple, then the benefits will appear for the users – in the form of better systems and functions.

The deal should also provide dividends for Nokia, which is the leading handset provider in a number of markets but languishes when it comes to America.

Yahoo! has been subject to some criticism about the amount of time its taking to turn around and recover but considering the death knell cries that surrounded the company only a year ago, Ms Bartz is fiercely defensive of what they have achieved. A recent, hard fought, deal with Microsoft has left the company with far more autonomy than was originally anticipated by industry authorities and SEO experts Queryclick.com say that smart partnerships will be the way forward for the company.

“Yahoo! can’t beat rivals such as Google when it comes to search, but the company has plenty more to offer.

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Bigmouthmedia Welcomes The New Search Partnership Between Yahoo And Microsoft’s Bing Search Engine, Stating That The New Arrangement Could Rejuvenate Competition In A Market Currently Dominated By Google

Although details of the deal are as yet unclear, reports from numerous credible news outlets worldwide suggest that after many months of negotiation, the global giants are set to unveil an agreement that will see Yahoo sell search ads under Microsoft’s nascent Bing brand. While estimates of the global market share the partnership will hold vary from 12% to 30%, Europe’s largest independent digital marketing agency believes that the news will have a positive impact upon the industry.

“It’s been 18 months since the rumour mill first started touting the possibility of a deal involving Yahoo and Microsoft, and the industry as a whole will be delighted to see what’s become the search business’ longest-running soap opera finally approaching a conclusion. The devil will be in the detail, but given the alarming dominance that Google has held over the market for so long, the prospect of a serious challenge to their position is good news for everyone,” said Lyndsay Menzies, Chief Operations Officer at bigmouthmedia.

“Although the impact in the UK will be minimal, with the combined entity still only accounting for a market share of around 5%, competition in any market is good for consumers. If the partnership succeeds in growing their market share still further, the renewed challenge could force Google to become more competitive.”

With the precise details of the agreement still a closely guarded secret, the news that Yahoo has finally succumbed to Microsoft’s advances has spawned widespread speculation over the deal’s possible ramifications. While the prospect of a serious competitor to Google’s Adwords system is being touted as a move that could help push PPC advertising prices downwards, other commentators have suggested that the deal could force the search giant to reconsider its policy against paying commission to partner agencies.

“There are still more questions than there are answers about this deal, but If Yahoo’s paid search ads are powered by Bing then we will have another credible search engine to consider for paid search budgets. That may result in some instability as bid management platforms adapt to cope with the new landscape, but it will help keep cost-per-click prices down,” said Andrew Girdwood, bigmouthmedia’s Head of Search.

“But if Bing is only going to supply Yahoo with organic results then it still means Yahoo is out of the search game. They’ll not be developing their search engine, are unlikely to return to it and will in essence become an ad management platform – the long term effects of which remain to be seen.”

About bigmouthmedia
Founded in 1997, bigmouthmedia is Europe’s largest and most experienced digital marketing agency and was rated the UK’s #1 Search agency for Search Engine Optimisation and PPC in the 2009 NMA Marketing Services Guide.

Bigmouthmedia’s 200+ online marketing experts across 12 international offices maximise online brand exposure for our clients by means of integrated digital strategies incorporating SEO, PPC, Social Media Marketing, Affiliate marketing, Display Advertising, Online PR and Copywriting.

Bigmouthmedia’s multilingual digital solutions deliver outstanding ROI for over 300 world leading brands including British Airways, Tesco, ebay, Sky, Cisco, BT, Comic Relief, Barclaycard and Europcar.

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