True Local, Yahoo Jilted by Google, Sensis

By Martin Kelly, Editor, Search Engine Room

True Local and Yahoo Search Marketing (YSM) are the big losers from the new Google-Sensis alliance.

The partnership will see business listings from the massive Yellow online business directory displace True Local listings on Google Maps from January. The True Local-Google agreement was non-financial with the News Digital Media owned company supplying the data in return for profile.

NDM has made no official comment, although the unofficial spin, carried in The Australian, is that the Google arrangement was providing less than 1% of True Local’s traffic. Therefore it wasn’t that important, though no mention of the profile benefits. It’s interesting to note that truelocal.com.au uses Google Maps while NDM news sites carry Google AdSense content.

Yahoo! Search Marketing, the long-term supplier of ad content to sensis.com.au, has also been sidelined. From early 2009 Google AdSense will replace YSM as the co-supplier (with the Sensis-owned BidSmart search marketing platform) of contextual advertising on Sensis.com.au and the BidSmart network.

A Sensis spokesperson said no changes were currently planned to BidSmart and that its Click Manager product, which buys ads for clients on Sensis, Google and Yahoo!7, would also be retained. Search Engine Room: November 10, 2008