A statement by Yahoo! notes:

Yahoo! will exit Search Submit at the end of 2009. Yahoo! is providing those advertisers affected by the decision a sufficient lead time to assist in the transition. In addition, Yahoo! has recently announced a series of important enhancements to its Search advertising business and will work closely with many Search Submit advertisers to provide them with search solutions that will benefit their businesses.

See more details at Search Engine Land:

http://searchengineland.com/yahoo-to-drop-paid-inclusion-program-27852

There are some questions as to how this will affect participants in the program:

What will happen to the “Quick Links” feature?

Will SSP users have access to their IDIF files so they can use them to post-optimize after the termination of the program?

Will a sitemap file be sufficient to provide full inclusion of participating sites?

I was a fan of the SSP program. Yahoo! maintained tight editorial control over the SSP index, which they blended with organic results to yield cleaner and more relevant results for ecommerce-related searches and some reference searches, among other content types. I worked closely with this program at Yahoo! for over 2 years as a TFG and Yahoo!’s go-to for large, complicated feeds. It was challenging, mostly due to the SSP team’s commitment to quality. But, as a result, I feel as though it improved Yahoo! search results. And, it has been a great channel for many of my clients.

It’s not surprising that Microsoft has begun to smoother SSP, as they are the ultimate Google copycats. Copying Google won’t be enough, however. And, I’m confident that mistakes are already being made in this mingling of the second tier. It’s going to be a while before Google gets thumped of the rungs above, but the day will come – just as it will for Microsoft. We’re on our way to a puzzlingly problematic future – one where what matters today may be set aside for more-primitive needs.

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