When Yahoo announced their effective exit from the search engine business last July, the main points seemed clear:
- Microsoft will provide the development and management of search engine results technology
- Microsoft will provide the search and content network ad platform
- Microsoft will manage the relationship with all but an elite group of advertisers
- Yahoo will provide their own user interface on top of Microsoft’s Bing data
The Bing-Yahoo agreement, should it receive the necessary anti-trust approvals, may have a wider impact on web marketers (as a side note, I believe the agreement is a bad thing as it reduces competition in this strategic market). Consider the uncertainty surrounding just two of the web marketing tools currently provided by Yahoo:
- Yahoo Site Explorer, a source of competitive link data for link analysis
- Yahoo Web Analytics (ex IndexTools)
Yahoo Site Explorer and Back-link data
Yahoo’s Site Explorer is probably the first stop most SEOs make when gathering website link information. Unfortunately, Microsoft’s Bing doesn’t not currently offer competitive data. MSN Search did offer the advanced search operators link: and linkdomain: but they are gone and it seems unlikely they will return any time soon, unless regulators include this as prerequisite for anti-trust approval (a somewhat far-fetched scenario – who’s lobbying for Site Explorer functionality?). Fortunately, alternative sources of link intelligence data do exist, albeit they’re not free and probably not yet as comprehensive although MajesticSEO seems to be making good headway.
Web Analytics shakeout and the future of Yahoo Web Analytics
Google’s November 2005 release of the “free” Google Analytics foresaw a shakeout among other commercial Web Analytics solutions. Indeed, Microsoft bought DeepMetrix Corp, Coremetrics bought IBM’s SurfAid Analytics, Lyris swallowed ClickTracks and Omniture went on to acquire Visual Sciences and HBX – Hitbox. Yahoo bought IndexTools and now Omniture is itself being acquired by Adobe.
Not all of these acquisitions have been successful for tool users. ClickTracks is no longer available as standalone product suitable for small businesses. After revising and releasing DeepMetrix’s LiveStats as Microsoft adCenter Analytics, Microsoft threw in the towel.
Microsoft’s move shouldn’t have been a complete surprise. Even with updates, adCenter Analytics seemed rather dated and cumbersome in comparison to Google Analytics and Yahoo Web Analytics. Microsoft also suffers from a well documented Internet attention deficit order. Remember the 5 long years that passed between IE 6 and IE 7? The same Steve Ballmer who admitted Microsoft was late to recognize the importance of Search, pulled the rug out from under book search. Somehow you just get the idea that Microsoft’s support for the Web is half-hearted.
The no man’s land scenario
With the Microsoft Bing agreement, Yahoo is divesting itself of costly technology and the associated infrastructure: not just the search engine technology, but the search and contextual ad platform as well. Logic would dictate that Yahoo would want to get out of the Web Analytics business as well – there is a lot of cost in application development and running Web Analytics servers. Yet Microsoft’s own recent exit from the Web Analytics business leads one to question Microsoft’s desire to take over Yahoo Web Analytics. Yahoo Web Analytics users are facing the no man’s land scenario, unless a white knight appears (none did in the Microsoft adCenter Analytics case).
Where’s my data (and what can I do with it)
Should Yahoo Web Analytics be turned off, it will be interesting to see what types of migration options are provided. For years vendors have promoted page tagging over log analysis saying it provides greater accuracy. In reality page tagging has its own issues – the primary vendor motivation is the continuing revenue stream guaranteed by the hosting model. This becomes clearer to users when they wonder why data collection is incomplete (pages not tagged, direct PDF downloads) and when they try to migrate to a different solution. Unlike log file solutions, JavaScript tagging solutions don’t share a common data model. Thus any migration is not trivial. Yahoo would have to provide a data export. The new tool vendor would have to convert this into their own format and process the historical data – something that would only happen if big money was on the table. As a note to the wise, some hosted solutions, like Google Analytics, allow you to avoid data lock-in – you can collect your data on your server at the same time it is sent to your hosted system. You still have a type of bit-rot problem – the data needs to be converted to a new format before it can be used by other Web Analytics applications.
Why Microsoft should want Yahoo Web Analytics
Microsoft could learn from Google’s data driven culture. By providing free Web Analytics to all, Google collects valuable data on web site usage world wide – how sticky is a particular site (number of pages viewed, time spent on site), who is sending a site traffic, what is the search engine market share in any particular country, how satisfied are users with their search results in Bing, Yahoo, Naver etc. This comparison of traffic to several Italian newspapers shows the power of Google’s data collection ability.
Sure, Google also gets data from other sources like its PageRank enabled toolbar (the toolbar only calls home to Google if you explicitly enable advanced features like PageRank display – probably the main reason Google maintains the PageRank fiction).
If you’re going to seriously compete with Google, you need to be collecting – and acting on – vast amounts of web data. Microsoft, are you serious this time?
Similar Posts:
- And then there were two: Microsoft – Yahoo! Search Deal at SMX West 2010
- Search engine detection in Microsoft adCenter Analytics
- Yahoo Search Marketing Tools: What’s at Risk & How to Avoid Surprises
- Google Zeitgeist has a Sibling, Google Trends
- Microsoft Throws in Web Analytics Towel, abandons adCenter Analytics
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14 responses so far ↓
1 René Dechamps Otamendi // Nov 9, 2009 at 16:01:59
I’m sorry to disagree…
I don’t believe that Yahoo will shut down, neither will give away Y!WA to Microsoft as part of their search deal.
The purpose of buying Indextools was primarily to provide Yahoo! partners (over 200.000 I was told) with a good tool to measure and hopefully optimize their earnings (together with Yahoo’s). Microsoft and Yahoo! have very different business models, reason why I think Yahoo has finally given up search and teamed up with Microsoft.
I would be very very surprised if Yahoo! would let go his WA tool to Microsoft.
Dennis, please come and comment
Cheers,
René
2 Dennis R. Mortensen // Nov 9, 2009 at 16:38:03
>>Yahoo Web Analytics (ex IndexTools) soon in no man’s land?
I like aggressive inputs, BUT this analysis is way off mate. If anything, its probably the complete opposite of what you suggest
Without providing you with insider information, I can say that, and expect us to agree on, the fact, that any major online media (*such as Yahoo!) need to provide two things to their customers (advertisers):
a) an impression input and
b) a data output.
We plan to communicate (the data output) to our advertisers (and actually non-yahoo advertisers in the head and torso end of the market) through Yahoo Web Analytics. We just don’t want to be free for all, we want to be free to anybody with a little bit of skin in the game.
So don’t worry about YWA, what you (the industry) should worry about is; what is MS to do when not having a serious external pre- and post-click analysis and reporting tool they can give to their advertisers ?
Cheers
d.
Dennis R. Mortensen, Director of Data Insights at Yahoo! (YWA)
Blog: http://visualrevenue.com/blog
Book: http://visualrevenue.com/blog/yahoo-analytics-book
Twitter: http://twitter.com/DennisMortensen
3 sean // Nov 9, 2009 at 21:01:09
@Dennis: Thank you for taking the time to stop by and comment.
I wholeheartedly agree with your view that major online media should provide their advertisers with an accountability tool. The question remains if Yahoo! sees Yahoo! Web Analytics as that tool, or if Yahoo! follows Microsoft’s lead.
As I indicated above, I would prefer to see Yahoo! stay committed to Search Marketing – that of course includes the Yahoo! Web Analytics component. Yet seen from the outside, and as a person who has worked for two multinationals, I cannot help but harbor doubts about Yahoo!’s future plans for Yahoo! Web Analytics given the precedent set by Yahoo!’s planned disinvestment in search technology and their “Panama” ad platform despite knowing that, if executed well, significant profit opportunity exists as Google continues to demonstrate.
Certainly a definitive statement from Carol Bartz or an appropriate person on her behalf would be very useful in removing any doubts surrounding the future of Y!WA.
4 Dennis R. Mortensen // Nov 9, 2009 at 21:52:53
>>Certainly a definitive statement from Carol Bartz or an appropriate person on her behalf would be very useful in removing any doubts surrounding the future of Y!WA.
I think that suggestion might be putting a bit too much on the shoulders of YWA (I like your attitude though and applaud the importance you give our ol’ IndexTools). You will see Y! management (incl. Carol) use expressions like “Data-driven” and “Insights” – which are arguments to confirm the position all of our data offerings such as YWA means to us.
And hey; why is it that – I – am not an appropriate person ?
Cheers
d.
Dennis R. Mortensen, Director of Data Insights at Yahoo! (YWA)
Blog: http://visualrevenue.com/blog
Book: http://visualrevenue.com/blog/yahoo-analytics-book
Twitter: http://twitter.com/DennisMortensen
5 chris faron // Nov 10, 2009 at 0:25:07
Very interesting post Sean, after being an ex beta tester of MS adCenter Analytics I was not very impressed with their offering, having said that offering a similar product with improved/up to date graphics and most importantly “Insights” (NUCONOMY springs to mind!) would surely help an advertisers buying decision when it comes to choosing a PPC provider
6 David // Nov 10, 2009 at 10:41:36
Based on some of the advanced features of Yahoo Web Analytics it would be crazy to fold in their product. It is one of the few that offer more support for marketers to calculate beyond the last click model that Google works on…
While agree that MSN Analytics was not a perfect product, sluggish and heavy as the interface was running SilverLight. It offered some great features for larger websites such as automatic tracking of outbound links and also provided demographic information about your visitors within your reporting.
I have tested YWA as part of a competition and it seems very comprehensive and far ahead of bloated solutions like webtrends. But if you don’t open up your program to agencies to test it on their sites. How can you expect us to sell it as a viable solution to GA, even webtrends offers free trials to my clients…
Im sorry but for such a wonderful product why make it difficult for people wanting to test your product? Im not saying that I would have the experience at this stage to make best use of all its features, but if it runs alongside GA and is used to measure our SEM spend is optimised that has to be good for clients.
If Yahoo wants to win at SEM they need a platform that works well within their platform and allows their advertisers to get the best ROI. They cannot seriously consider giving up all this data to Google/Adobe and just hope they continue to accurately report on Yahoo PPC campaigns…
7 Claudiu // Nov 10, 2009 at 14:20:54
Microsoft didn’t buy Yahoo or anything, they just made a deal. The deal hasn’t been even got ti the implementation stage yet for as much as I know,. The deal is about search and not advertising. Therefore stating that Yahoo Web Analytics is in no man’s land I think is far from the truth.
Even if advertising disappears from Yahoo Strategy, they can always get back to capitalizing the tool. I don’t think they will run out of customers. Their platform rocks. I believe that just this is enough for it never to die.
8 sean // Nov 10, 2009 at 15:00:48
@Claudiu If you check the press release, you’ll note the agreement does include advertising. I quote:
9 Matt Lillig // Nov 10, 2009 at 20:17:59
Just to clarify, Yahoo! Web Analytics is a stand alone web analytics solution that Yahoo! offers. It is NOT “baked” into the Yahoo! Search Marketing platform (a.k.a. “Panama”). Therefore, Yahoo! Web Analytics is not part of any Yahoo!/Microsoft search deal.
So if a Yahoo!/Microsoft search deal does goes through, users of Yahoo! Web Analytics would continue as they have been.
The only analytics products that may change are the analytics reporting products within the Yahoo! Search Marketing platform, called ‘Full Analytics’ and ‘Conversion Only’.
By the way, I would say Dennis is definitely an “appropriate person” to speak to Yahoo! Web Analytics.
Kind regards,
Matt Lillig
Team Lead – Yahoo! Search Analytics
10 giorgio // Dec 12, 2009 at 23:06:15
Bravissimi!
i have gone to many web sites and only found answer fragments to my questions.
This site has put the fragments together for me and offered conclusive explanations.
Yahoo has given up their analytics and Bing will stop at the end of 2009.
Without analytics, what is the point of running a website in the dark? There must be a way out!
Something i am not aware of.
I signed up with Yahoo over a month ago… they have not contacted me yet, leave alone that i wrote to them.
So i looked at Bing today but their analytics will soon stop at the end of the month! I am not even able to see samples of their ads.
If you have ideas or suggestions please tell me.
No no no, NO ADSENSE!
Tante grazie in anticipo.
11 paul lorinczi // Dec 18, 2009 at 15:53:16
Yahoo better not abandon YWA.
It is by far the best tool out there. We were an original Index Tools customer. There was a rough patch with the transition from Index Tools to Yahoo. In the interim, we played with Google and decided it just was not adequate.
Yahoo Analytics is by far the most comprehensive tool available. Since Yahoo has taken it over, they have even made some enhancements to include demographic data tracking.
So, I hope you are wrong. And, I hope that MS keeps its evil paws off of it. It is an excellent product that does not need MS intervention.
12 Matt Lillig // Dec 18, 2009 at 20:38:59
Let’s put this Yahoo! Web Analytics concern to rest!
Yahoo! Web Analytics is not part of any Yahoo!/Microsoft search deal. The signed deal between Yahoo! and Microsoft is strictly around search. This means that we’ll all get to enjoy Yahoo! Web Analytics for a long time!
Yahoo! Web Analytics is currently available for FREE to any Yahoo! advertiser with a managed account.
It is also currently available to anybody who works through one of great consultant partners which can be found here (consulting fees may vary): http://web.analytics.yahoo.com/ywacn.php
Hope this calms the nerves.
Matt Lillig
Yahoo! Search Analytics Lead
13 sean // Dec 18, 2009 at 22:53:00
@Matt, thanks for your feedback.
14 Craig Dewe // Jan 17, 2010 at 13:07:43
I dont why Yahoo has been beaten out by Google maybe they should have invest in sponsorship for college students in harvard, students have great ideas not to mention new ones.Just like Facebook as a student project gone wild.:)
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