Overture 2.0 - RIP Yahoo! Search Marketing

In 2007, when many thought Yahoo! would be acquired, I argued that Yahoo! should not be for sale:

Nobody should buy Yahoo!, though. A merger makes no sense when being nimble is what's necessary to compete with Google. However, I think a joint venture with Microsoft might work. (BTW, these are the 2 things I think Yahoo! should do right now, before considering mergers or partnerships.) In order to keep up with Google, it might even make sense for Yahoo! and Microsoft to spin off their search advertising properties and merge those entities into a new firm. Following the web 2.0 naming conventions (tongue-in-cheek), they should create this new search company:



Yeah, that's Overture sans vowels. ;-)

I wasn't too far off the mark, reading about the Microsoft - Yahoo! search deal today. I can't help but think, though, that this is the beginning of the end for Yahoo. It's certainly RIP Yahoo! Search Marketing. That'll simplify life for those of us that manage PPC accounts. Having started PPC advertising using Overture, the news of the end of its successor is actually a bit sad.

Google AgencyLand

Since April, I've been beta testing Google AgencyLand. Now, I can talk about it.



One of the most useful features is the weekly update. Here's an example from the week of June 17, 2009:

Must Know Product Updates

Search Query Performance Report Update

If you’ve recently run a Search Query Performance Report (SQR) you may have noticed 'Broad (Session-Based)' in the 'Search Query Match Type' column. As you may be aware, when determining which ads to show on Google.com, the system evaluates some of the user's previous queries during his search session as well as the current search query. If the system detects a relationship, it will show ads related to these other queries. Such matches were previously reported as 'Broad match' and are now marked as 'Broad (Session-Based)' in SQRs.

We hope this update offers more granular insight into how your keywords are performing. If you find that a particular query is performing well, consider adding the keyword to your ad group. Conversely, such data can help identify potential terms to add as negative keywords. Visit the Help Center for a more detailed description of Search Query Match Type as well as an explanation of session-based broad matches.

Wouldn't it be useful to know about these kinds of changes, before or as they're rolled out? I'm not even sure if this change has been announced on any of the official Google blogs.

If you work for an agency, make sure you're signed up for the Google AgencyLand trial. And, read the weekly updates!

Tags: google, agencyland