Skip to main content

Microsoft and Yahoo merge their search sales

yahoo-microsoft-bing-search-mergerThe search deal between Microsoft and Yahoo is finally nearing completion. On its blog today, Microsoft announced that the company’s Advertising adCenter now powers both Bing and Yahoo search results, allowing advertisers to reach almost a third of Internet traffic on the combined platform.

The deal is the next step in the 10-year Microsoft Bing and Yahoo search merger, which was announced in July 2009. Under the plan, Microsoft’s Bing search engine will power Yahoo Search and its ad sales. Microsoft will get 12 percent of revenue from Yahoo searches. In August, the two companies announced that Bing was now powering Yahoo Search.

Related Videos

“This will provide advertisers with the benefit of a combined marketplace through a single platform, creating a competitive alternative in search,” said David Pann, general manager of the Microsoft Advertising Search Network. “Rather than managing campaigns on Bing and Yahoo! separately, advertisers can now reach the combined audience of both search engines by managing a single account, saving time and simplifying campaign management.”

Pann predicts that ad prices may rise and fluctuate initially, but should settle into a nice groove within a few weeks. Small and medium-sized business that have a premium advertising package with adCenter will now be managed by Yahoo’s search account team.

So, how does this affect you? Well, it doesn’t, unless you own a website and use Microsoft adCenter or Google Adsense ads, or start a business and decide to buy keywords on Bing or Google. However, today’s news does mean that Google has its first viable search competitor in many, many years.

Editors' Recommendations

Microsoft continues its unabashed embrace of ChatGPT and AI
OpenAI and MIcrosoft logos appear over a computer generated background.

Microsoft's race to integrate ChatGPT into its products took some big steps forward today.

As per an announcement from Microsoft, OpenAI technology is officially coming to Teams Premium, while a new recent report suggests that a new version of ChatGPT, based on an updated GPT-4 model, might supercharge Bing search soon.

Read more
Microsoft might put ChatGPT into Outlook, Word, and PowerPoint
Bibliography in Word on a desktop computer.

Microsoft is currently testing the GPT AI language that was developed by the technology brand OpenAI to potentially be used in its Office suite of products, including Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint.

OpenAI's intuitive technology products, including ChatGPT and Dall-E 2, have become internet sensations for their text- and image-generating prowess. Many have speculated about how ChatGPT can practically and morally be used. However, Microsoft is looking to use the company's AI models in a more functional manner. The company has already implemented a version of the OpenAI GPT text-generator model as an update to its autocomplete feature, according to The Information.

Read more
Microsoft Word Free Trial: Get a month of service for free
A person using MS Word.

Windows may be a staple Microsoft product, but even as a software company it delivers far more than the popular operating system. Microsoft also dominates the enterprise software space with its Office app suite, which is relied on by millions of professionals, students, and average folks around the world every single day. One of the more renowned Office apps is Microsoft Word, a versatile and capable word processor that's essential for typing and editing written documents, among other things (and there's a lot of things you probably didn't know you could do in Microsoft Word). Microsoft Office is paid software, however, Word included, and for some, the cost may seem high even with some of the best Microsoft Office deals floating around. So, if you're wondering if there's a Microsoft Word free trial or any other way to get it for free, read on to find out.
Is there a Microsoft Word free trial?

Microsoft Word is actually part of the company's wider Office app suite. Now known simply as Microsoft 365 (formerly Microsoft Office), Microsoft's enterprise software is available in a number of different packages that are now subscription-based; the company has retired the older bundles that were available for a one-time payment. That means if you want a Microsoft Word free trial, you'll need to sign up for the Microsoft 365 trial, which includes the Word app along with Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, OneDrive, and Editor.

Read more