As some of you may know, Yahoo’s history with Microsoft has been anything but straightforward. After partnering with Microsoft from 2009 to 2015, Yahoo decided to take back control for 49% of their desktop search volume and maintain 100% control of their mobile search volume. This is where Google entered the picture and began serving on Yahoo inventory. In other words: if Microsoft and Yahoo were “Facebook official,” their relationship status would definitely be “It’s Complicated.”
Now, you’re all caught up!
Get ready, the tables have turned yet again. Verizon Media placed a big deal with Bing a little over a week ago which will make Bing Ads the exclusive platform to serve and manage search ads for 100% of the Oath Ad search volume on desktop, tablets, and mobile devices. All search advertising opportunities across Verizon Media properties, including campaigns on both Yahoo and AOL, will be exclusively served by Bing Ads starting March 31st.
Hold up. What does this mean, exactly?
Glad you asked. I’ve outlined some key points below.
Do make sure that your Bing budgets are increased to accommodate this anticipated influx of volume; Bing has stated that the transition could result in a 10 to 15% increase in click volume
Don’t turn off your Yahoo Gemini campaigns until you notice that they’re no longer generating volume and performance; eventually, management will be consolidated to the Bing Ads platform but the speed of transition could vary
Do re-visit Native advertising in your strategy; Native ads will transition to Bing and have exclusive access to Bing Native inventory
Don’t count on Google to continue to serve ads in Yahoo; Google ads will no longer serve on Yahoo or any Verizon-owned properties, such as AOL, Huff post, TechCrunch, etc.
I’m personally very excited for this transition, as the Yahoo Gemini platform has never quite hit the mark in terms of usability and integration with Search Ads 360. Consolidating to one platform will not only improve the ease of management but also look to benefit overall performance for your accounts. Keep an eye out for the transition start on March 15th!
