Last week was big for Yahoo. On September 14th, The Neilson Company reported that Bing has overtaken Yahoo as the number 2 search engine (Google is still number 1 by a large margin.) Two days later Yahoo fought back, unveiling its 3-year vision – to be an “innovative technology company with the largest digital media content and communications business in the world.” A smart marketer should pay attention to Yahoo’s plans and be proactive.
Yahoo’s Future Plans and How You Can Take Advantage of Them
Some new updates are set to roll out this fall to reverse the decline in the amount of time users are spending on Yahoo sites. Yahoo changed the appearance of its search layout so that users will get more expansive information on the first results page. For example, if users are searching for movies, they will be able to view the times and purchase tickets without leaving Yahoo. The more robust your website is with relevant optimized content, the easier it will be for your company to be included in this information.
Yahoo also reached a deal with Starbucks where customers using the coffee shop’s free Wi-Fi networks will be directed to Yahoo content tailored to their local market – another great reason to take advantage of Yahoo Local business listings and to optimize your site for local search.
The search company also stated that it is attempting to better integrate Facebook and Twitter into its offerings so that users can more easily share information they find on Yahoo with their social networks. Now more than ever you need to keep your accounts active, inviting and informative.
As we covered in a previous post, Bing Yahoo Searches Now One In The Same? A Microsoft AOL Deal? What do these partnerships mean for your SEO? in August Bing officially started powering Yahoo searches while Yahoo maintains the exclusive worldwide relationship sales force for both Yahoo and Bing’s premium search advertisers. Make no doubt about it. Bing and Yahoo are in the game and you need to be in it as well. You can’t simply focus on Google.