Yahoo admits defeat in syndicated pay-per-click ads.
Yahoo is shutting down its Yahoo Publisher Network effective April 30.
The program launched in summer 2005 as a challenge to Google’s popular Google Adsense program that lets any size web site publisher syndicate pay-per-click ads on their web site. The program initially received rave reviews as beta participants received high payouts. Over time, the program languished in beta. One common criticism was poor targeting, which reduced ad relevance and click-through rates.
Yahoo is suggesting that current participants join Chitika as an alternative. Chitika already syndicates Yahoo content match and sponsored search ads. However, adding another middleman into the equation could reduce revenue to publishers.
It’s possible the move comes in advance of Yahoo’s partnership with Microsoft kicking in. It’s likely that Microsoft will create its own Adsense competitor.
The termination of the Yahoo Publisher Network should not affect Yahoo domain name parking partners.
Tim says
They rejected my application when I had hundreds of sites up and was/and still am the leader of direct navigation in a major niche, even without those sites…I’m still the leader, but they rejected me.
I was dumbfounded since I had the best domains that could of been had for that niche and a great network, but there were other alternatives….so I did not go running after them either.
Simply bad management was their cause of their demise.
Tim says
They sure don’t exclude domain parking though do they?
One can only speculate what is next.
Bryan says
Microsoft already has it’s own AdSense competitor in PubCenter. It’s been in beta a while now and as a publisher it’s not much better than YPN other than the fact that you have much more ad design control.