Yahoo and Google tussle over who thought of small biz search scheme first
Yahoo’s boss of search marketing has suggested that last week’s “stimulus package” for small businesses announced by Google was a copycat effort.
The comment came during this morning’s launch of Yahoo Search Marketing’s Big Bang initiative. The company is targeting Australia’s 160,000 small businesses and offering each of them a free three month search marketing package worth $150.
The move comes just five days after Google launched a similar project, which it described as a “small business stimulus package“. In that case, the packages are worth $75.
At the Yahoo Search Marketing event today, Mumbrella asked MD Willie Pang if the move was a response to Google’s project. Suggesting that Yahoo’s plans had been on the cards for some time, he said: “I wonder whether theirs was a response to our promotion.”
He added: ‘It’s terrific the opposition is also supporting small businesses that way.”
But a spokesman for Google told Mumbrella: ‘I suspect this is simply a case of independent thought. There’s a lot of acitivity in this area to encourage small businesses to try search marketing.”
Both companies’ projects will see businesses that are not already investing in paid search marketing offered help in creating a first campaign, whcih will run for free.
During the launch – at Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art – Pang said that as few as 2% of Australia’s nearly two million small businesses have so far invested in paid search, creating a major opportunity for growth.
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
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This is great! The big guys are competing against each other and…we win!
Here the number to call Yahoo if you want to take part in their “Big Bang” campaign: 1800 007 577. And here’s Google’s URL for their offer: https://services.google.com/fb/forms/stimulusoffer/ This offer expires 30th June. Yahoo said that they will be more flexible with their expiry dates.
I hope Yahoo’s approach to search marketing is a bit more user friendly than Google’s AdWords.
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