When recently speaking to my Dad about searching for something on the internet (probably whilst trying to explain what I do for a living), he seemed surprised to hear that there are actually other search engines apart from Google.
Whilst our parents’ generation may be excused for this lapse in knowledge, how many other people can say that they use Yahoo or Bing on a regular basis? Although I’m sure that this number will not be as small as you might think, it is undeniable that Google is the first port of call for most internet users.
Due to the sheer volume that Google commands, it is easy as an advertiser to discard Yahoo as not worth spending time over, however Yahoo have been bringing innovative ad formats in recent months which make it worth considering when putting together your media plans.
We’ve recently seen the arrival of Rich Ads on Yahoo which incorporate non text creative into their PPC ads. These allow you to incorporate video and TV assets into your ad, display your brand logo or add deep links to your website.
These ads are only available on brand terms and are paid for on a tenancy style basis for a fix fee per month regardless of how many clicks you receive. Whilst costs need to be considered if you currently pay less on Yahoo than this monthly fee is, they are worth considering for branding campaigns as the prominence of the ad with your brand logo, as well as the “real estate” that they take up on the results page could be valuable in promoting your brand message.
Rich ads are worth bearing in mind if your client has just released a TV ad, as they could be a good way to promote a particular offer or promotion, as videos can be expanded and watched on the results page.
The “deep links” that Yahoo offer in their Rich Ads, seem to be the sitelinks that they currently don’t offer on regular ads. Whilst this may be a step behind Google, this will still give you a leg up on other advertisers in the Yahoo results page and is therefore worth considering.
Hopefully, Yahoo will keep up with these innovative ad formats, as it is refreshing to try new alternatives that challenge Google – perhaps in the future we will be able to use the phrase “Let me Yahoo that!”
