The Yahoo! Microsoft Search Alliance is upon us! It’s October and the Alliance is happening, right on plan. I couldn’t be more excited and impressed with the Alliance happening on schedule (it’s one of the biggest events in the history of search engine marketing, after all). As you may remember, I wrote about preparing for the Yahoo! Microsoft Search Alliance. I also wrote about Marin Software’s amazing search alliance whitepaper. Today, I wanted to share an interesting story and a few last minute tips about the Alliance.
Are You Ready For The Yahoo! Microsoft Search Alliance?
Are you ready for the Search Alliance? If not, don’t worry, you’re not alone. PPC Ian is in the same boat as you, not all of my Yahoo! accounts have a transition plan. As you may know, I’m a huge fan of leverage. I work on the most important stuff and don’t give much time to the lower leverage activities. As such, I have a few smaller personal YSM accounts that I haven’t logged into for a while and I have absolutely no transition plan in place. It’s actually really crazy! About a month ago, Yahoo! started calling me and leaving messages on my phone to remind me about the Alliance! Most recently, they started sending me snail mail. Check out the images of the postcard at the bottom of this post. Click on them to view the full sized pictures. Can you believe it?
I’m Impressed With The Calls and Snail Mail
I’m actually really impressed with it all. Just think about it: These smaller accounts are ideal accounts for Yahoo! and Microsoft. I rarely log in, I let it spend money month after month, and I’m not really measuring the results. Again, it’s all about leverage for me and this stuff is just too small to look at regularly. These types of autopilot accounts are really like a dream come true for search engines. The money just keeps flowing in. When I think about it all through that lens, it totally makes sense why Yahoo! and Microsoft are going to such great lengths to move my smaller accounts over. I’m sure when you add up all the folks in the same bucket as me, we’re talking about some serious profit that could be lost for Yahoo! and Microsoft.
Last Minute Search Alliance Tips
Let’s say you have larger search engine accounts that aren’t yet prepared for the Alliance. I’d like to close out by offering a few tips. First and foremost, let’s start out and look at the root of the issue. Did you know about the Alliance and, if so, why did you wait? If you knew about the Alliance, I’m betting you’re just too strapped for time. You need more leverage.
How do you get more leverage? First, I highly recommend working closely with your Yahoo! reps to see how they can help. You’d be really surprised how much they can get done quickly. My Yahoo! reps have been truly invaluable in the entire process, they are working overtime to make sure the Alliance goes smoothly. Second, I recommend evaluating ppc management software such as Acquisio. I’m just about the biggest fan of SEM software around and can guarantee it will give you more leverage. PPC software will ensure that you’re always on top of your game, one step ahead of everyone else. Best of luck!
My Yahoo! Microsoft Search Alliance Postcard – Click To View Full Sized Images In New Window
Great post as always Ian… what day is it official? I’m looking to create an account and holding off until the entire process is complete….
Good stuff!
– Dino
Dino,
Thanks so much for the comment, much appreciated! It’s interesting: There’s no official transition date from two perspectives. First, they are moving categories over one at a time but there is no published schedule. The Yahoo reps are giving their clients notice as they get info about the specific vertical affected. Second, Yahoo! traffic is naturally being throttled down, and adCenter up. On top of these two dynamics is the fact that the Unified Marketpace should be fully transitioned around the end of October. It’s not a bad idea to wait for the dust to settle before creating your account so you can measure your conversion rates with precision, but if you’d like to get a head start, you can create an adCenter account now. Once the Alliance is in full effect for your vertical, the adCenter account will start scaling to Yahoo’s traffic as well. Thanks again!
All the best,
Ian
I’ve only used Yahoo and MSN for a short while long ago and I though the alliance had been set up already.
Hey Alex,
Thanks so much, I very much appreciate the comment! It’s an interesting thing with the Alliance – it’s really a gradual switch vertical by vertical. Some advertisers should already be on the new platform completely. Others are not. One thing is for sure: By the end of October, most if not all of the transition will be done!
All the best,
Ian
Ian,
Love your blog! I’ve been sharing some of your articles with my colleagues. You mention SEM software and we are working on budgets for 2011. We manage a lot of accounts and used a program before but got rid of it. Any recommendations for a great low cost, effective program without too many bells and whistles? Keep up the great blog!
Hey Ian,
Thanks for sharing all the things! I’ve been following your blog for few months now but it’s my first time commenting here. Hehe. It’s very funny regarding the same boat you said. I’ve put my ppc accounts into sleeping too. Hehe. I really appreciate for all the stuff you have been sharing so far. Thank you!
Hi Mara,
Thank you so much for the comment and kind words! 🙂 I sincerely appreciate it! You bring up a favorite topic of mine. I plan on writing many more posts about SEM software in the future. In terms of starting your search, I’d first like to say that it’s a buyer’s market right now. Why? Many excellent SEM software tools exist and they’re all competing for your business. This means unparalleled innovation and value for the end user. Three of my favorite tools are Marin Software, Acquisio, and WordStream. If you’re looking for the low cost route, WordStream may be your best bet. However, this really is just a starting point. There are many other stellar applications such as Kenshoo, Efficient Frontier, and ClickEquations as well. My suggestion is to really audit them all to make the best possible decision. I wish you all the best in your SEM software investigation and please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions.
Thanks again!
All the best,
Ian
Veron,
Thanks so much for visiting PPC Ian and for the comment! I truly appreciate it!
All the best,
Ian
maybe now we will see an increase in Yahoo/Bing PPC revenue shares.. keeping my fingers crossed
Dan,
Thanks so much for the comment, I very much appreciate it! You bring up an excellent point – this could be a GREAT thing from the domaining perspective.
All the best,
Ian
Hey Ian!
I keep getting a bunch of these in the mail too, as well as emails.
It’s comforting to know they are right on top of it at least.
Jeremy
Hey Jeremy,
Thanks so much for the comment! I agree, these guys are definitely on top of it. I actually just got back from a Yahoo conference in LA (their Traffic Quality Council) and learned even more about the Search Alliance. I must say that I’m impressed!
All the best,
Ian