maine web development, web design, internet marketing

We heard about it last year and now we’re finally seeing it action – partly, anyway.  As Amanda pointed out last week, up to 25% of  Yahoo’s organic search results in the U.S. are being powered by Bing and up to 3.5% may see paid listings from Microsoft adCenter.  The difference won’t be noticeable unless you’re one of the lucky searchers to see the “Powered by Bing” badge on the bottom of a results page (they’re currently testing this badge on just some of the results, but once it’s fully rolled out, it will be on the bottom of all the results pages).  I went to Yahoo to see if I could get a glimpse of a Bing-branded results page by performing a million (read: ten) searches but it was not to be.  Seriously, after 10 searches on Yahoo, I had to leave; I felt like a foreigner in a strange land (I’m a Googler).

When will it ALL be Bing?

Microsoft and Yahoo are currently doing tests for organic and paid results and if all goes well, the US and Canada will see all Bing-powered results in desktop and mobile searches as early as August (August/September is the current time frame).  The paid search platform transition to Microsoft adCenter will be undergoing a bit more testing, but is expected to be fully live by October.

Obviously, this is a pretty big transition, especially for those folks who currently use Yahoo Search Marketing for their PPC campaigns.  Yahoo is trying to make this as smooth of a transition as possible, and has a bunch of information regarding the change.  Not only do they have a complete site called the “Yahoo Transition Center” dedicated to it, there are also helpful posts on the Yahoo Search Marketing blog.

What about the rest of the world?

I haven’t read anything yet about when they plan to integrate the Bing-powered organic results internationally, but for PPC, international advertisers should see the move to Microsoft adCenter in early 2012.  Again, this will all be dependent on a successful roll out in the United States and Canada.

On the tail of this news, Yahoo Japan just announced that it plans to use Google’s search engine technology for their organic and paid search instead of Bing.  Although this may be a bit of a blow to Microsoft, Yahoo only holds a minority stake in Yahoo Japan and cannot stop them from using Google as an alternative.  This proves to be an interesting move, considering that comScore’s figures show that Japan has the third largest number of searches conducted as of December 2009 (behind the US and China).  A good portion of Japan’s searches could be Google-powered if everything goes as planned.

Are you excited about this change?  Are you mad because I dissed Yahoo?  Let me know!

This is an entry in our daily Internet Marketing Advent Calendar series. Each day your favorite marketing elves Kasi and Amanda will focus on a new topic to get your internet marketing in order before the start of the new year.

Back when I was a kid, the internet wasn’t around. I mean, it had been developed and all that, but it wasn’t accessible to us “regular” folks yet. So, aside from a newscast here or there about his whereabouts, I just had to believe that he would make it to my house that night. I couldn’t obsessively see where he had already visited and track his path.

Kids today are so lucky! Now, just by doing a simple search, they can find tons of Santa Trackers at their disposal! When I typed “Santa Claus” into Bing and Google, it actually suggested “Santa Claus tracker”. Check out some of these cool sites and enjoy!

Santa Update

NORAD Tracks Santa

Santa Radar

I wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Thank you so much for tuning in this month to our Internet Marketing Advent Calendar.

Read the rest of the Internet Marketing Advent Calendar

• Dec. 23 – Is Blogging and Social Media New or Retro?
• Dec. 22 – This is NOT My Predictions Post
• Dec. 21 – Santa’s Helper Keyword Quick Tip # 2: Google’s Wonder Wheel
• Dec 20 – The Top 10 Searches of 2009
• Dec. 19 – It is OK to be a Person, Especially When Blogging
• Dec. 18 – New Toy from Google
• Dec. 17 – 2010 SEO Predictions
• Dec. 16 – Bing Shows Love to iPhone Users With Free App
• Dec. 15 – Your Charlie Brown Social Media Strategy
• Dec. 14 – A gift to you from Seth Godin
• Dec. 13 – Is Google Real Time Search Naughty or Nice?
• Dec. 12 – Santa’s Little Helper Quick Tip: Finding Long Tail Keywords
• Dec. 11 – LinkedIn, the Velveteen Rabbit of Social Media Websites
• Dec. 10 – Protecting Your Content
• Dec. 9 – Don’t Forget the Milk & Cookies (Good Content)
• Dec. 8 – Google Makes it (Even More) Personal
• Dec. 7 – Customer Service and Marketing
• Dec. 6 – Social Media Didn’t Invent Criticism
• Dec. 5 – Email is the frosting to your gingerbread house
• Dec. 4 – Is Google Caffeine on Your Holiday Wish List?
• Dec. 3 – Don’t Forget to Make Your Title Tags and Check ‘Em Twice
• Dec. 2 – Your Mobile Website
• Dec. 1 – Your Holiday Card List (Your Network)

This is an entry in our daily Internet Marketing Advent Calendar series. Each day your favorite marketing elves Kasi and Amanda will focus on a new topic to get your internet marketing in order before the start of the new year.

As we’re looking ahead to the new year, it’s also tradition to recap the year that is coming to a close. What’s the best way to remember what was on the collective minds of the US in 2009? With the top 10 searches in Google, Yahoo, and Bing, of course!

Google.com – Fastest Rising

1. twitter
2. michael jackson
3. facebook
4. hulu
5. hi5
6. glee
7. paranormal activity
8. natasha richardson
9. farrah fawcett
10. lady gaga

Yahoo.com

1. Michael Jackson
2. “Twilight”
3. WWE
4. Megan Fox
5. Britney Spears — bumped from No. 1 after four straight years, according to Yahoo
6. Naruto
7. “American Idol”
8. Kim Kardashian
9. NASCAR
10. Runescape

Bing.com

1. Michael Jackson
2. Twitter
3. Swine Flu
4. Stock Market
5. Farrah Fawcett
6. Patrick Swayze
7. Cash for Clunkers
8. Jon and Kate Gosselin
9. Billy Mays
10. Jaycee Dugard

I figured that Michael Jackson would have dominated all three, but Twitter actually came out on top in Google. It’s always fun to see the differences between the search engines. I was surprised that Lady Gaga wasn’t in the top 10 for at least 2 out of 3, with her dramatic rise in the music scene (not to mention her, um, odd choices in costumes). Still, I’m sure some conclusions can be drawn about the different demographics that use the different engines. What do you think it means?

Read the rest of the Internet Marketing Advent Calendar

• Dec. 19 – It is OK to be a Person, Especially When Blogging
• Dec. 18 – New Toy from Google
• Dec. 17 – 2010 SEO Predictions
• Dec. 16 – Bing Shows Love to iPhone Users With Free App
• Dec. 15 – Your Charlie Brown Social Media Strategy
• Dec. 14 – A gift to you from Seth Godin
• Dec. 13 – Is Google Real Time Search Naughty or Nice?
• Dec. 12 – Santa’s Little Helper Quick Tip: Finding Long Tail Keywords
• Dec. 11 – LinkedIn, the Velveteen Rabbit of Social Media Websites
• Dec. 10 – Protecting Your Content
• Dec. 9 – Don’t Forget the Milk & Cookies (Good Content)
• Dec. 8 – Google Makes it (Even More) Personal
• Dec. 7 – Customer Service and Marketing
• Dec. 6 – Social Media Didn’t Invent Criticism
• Dec. 5 – Email is the frosting to your gingerbread house
• Dec. 4 – Is Google Caffeine on Your Holiday Wish List?
• Dec. 3 – Don’t Forget to Make Your Title Tags and Check ‘Em Twice
• Dec. 2 – Your Mobile Website
• Dec. 1 – Your Holiday Card List (Your Network)

A deal between the 2nd and 3rd place search engines has finally been confirmed and is reported to close in early 2010. Microsoft and Yahoo!, who have been in talks since early 2009 after Microsoft’s failed attempt to buy Yahoo! last year, are teaming up to try and chip away at Google’s market share.

What Does this Mean?

Basically, the long and the short of it is that Yahoo! will use Bing’s search engine to supply organic search results. Pay-Per-Click ads that appear on Yahoo’s search engine results pages are going to be powered by Microsoft’s paid search platform, AdCenter. In return, Yahoo! will use their data and technology in other areas of the search business, including enhancing its display advertising technology. Both companies will maintain their own separate advertising and sales teams.

Let’s Look at the Numbers

Google scored 65% of the total US searches in June. Yahoo! came in just under 20% and Bing’s slice of the search pie was 8.4%. Together, the two underdogs don’t account for even half of Google’s share, but it’s still a step closer in rivaling the giant. “They should be worried,” Danny Sullivan, editor of SearchEngineLand.com, said of Google. “It’s going to give Microsoft in one fell swoop a much bigger share of the search market.”

Will There Be Much of a Change?

At this point so early in the game, it’s unclear whether or not Yahoo! and Microsoft will be able to greatly increase their current combined market share. There still needs to be some sort of driving force to steer people away from using Google. In my opinion, I’m not sure it can be done. I used Google to find more information about their search deal, which speaks volumes about the fact that people’s habits are hard to break. Will my preferred search engine change? Not very likely.

Stay tuned for more updates as the details unfold…