Search Engine Optimization News Blog

The much anticipated partnership between Google and yahoo to allow Google ads to be displayed nest to Yahoo search results if floundering, say sources close to the situation. Talks seem to be breaking down over the Department of Justice’s concerns over the duo teaming up, and Microsoft’s senior vice president and legal counsel, Brad Smith has argued from the beginning that the ‘unprecedented level of control - over 90%-’ that the deal would give Google over net advertising was dangerous.

One might thing that that is just Microsoft playing dog in the manger since the proposed alliance between the two bigger search giants effectively killed an attempted takeover of Yahoo by Microsoft earlier this year. Now, with the huge plans dwindling away, will the smaller company with the deep pockets try again?

The deal with Google and the supposed millions in profits were all that kept shareholders from tearing Jerry Yang’s throat out in August when he turned down yet another offer from Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer. With Google out of the picture, many assume negotiations with Ballmer will reopen. Carl Icahn, who attempted a company takeover by way of proxy fight to force Yang to accept Microsoft’s offer and ended up settling for a seat on the board when the Google deal was signed, may be silently shaking in glee. His dreams for a Micro-Hoo may be realized after all, though it is doubtful that Yahoo can command the same price they might have earlier in the year.

Parties from both Yahoo and Google declined to comment, but the fact that Google didn’t move ahead on the 22 of October is sobering in and of itself, after the previous declamations from the search and ad monster that they had no worries about the DOJ at all.