Yahoo PPC Automatic Account Optimization

Yahoo quietly amended the Yahoo Search Marketing program terms and officially launched Automatic Account Optimization to help small- to mid-sized YSM advertisers.

OPTIMIZATION. In the U.S. only, for those advertisers not bound by an Insertion Order, we may help you optimize your account(s). Accordingly, you expressly agree that we may also: (i) create ads, (ii) add and/or remove keywords, and/or (iii) optimize your account(s). We will notify you via email of such changes made to your account(s), and can also include a spreadsheet of such changes upon your written request. If you would like any of such changes reversed, please reply to such email within 14 days of the change(s), and we will make commercially reasonable efforts to reverse the change(s) you specifically identify. Notwithstanding the foregoing, you remain responsible for all changes made to your account(s), including all click charges incurred prior to any reversions being made. It is your responsibility to monitor your account(s) and to ensure that your account settings are consistent with your business objectives.

Note that in the program terms, Yahoo can legally make changes to your account without your prior approval. For about a month, this raised some concerns from about every SEM expert.

  • Why did Yahoo make Automatic Account Optimization an opt-out option, rather than an opt-in option?
  • I know the changes are reversible, but why is Yahoo wasting my time for reviewing changes that I may not even agree?
  • How would Yahoo know my business / website goals?
  • Before creating ads and adding keywords for me, what conversion data does Yahoo use?
  • How would Yahoo know how to create tracking codes for the new keywords they are adding to my account?
  • By helping me to spend more (in blind), is Yahoo helping me with my business goals, or helping themselves to make more money out of me (quicker)?
  • Will Yahoo eventually roll this out to all advertisers who are on Insertion Order terms?
  • Will Yahoo eventually roll this out to all YSM accounts that are outside of the United States?

Then, Yahoo defended the Automatic Account Optimization with this response.

  • Since June 2008, we have optimized approximately 2% of all active accounts and created approximately 20,000 new ads.
  • The acceptance rate of changes we have made is roughly 80%, which we believe indicates the changes have been helpful.
  • The time needed to make optimization changes to accounts has been reduced from approximately ten days to one day.

Not everyone wants Yahoo to spend their marketing budget, and it is always easier to get help from one of the PPC experts:

  • To look after your Yahoo accounts
  • To train you on how to manage and optimize your yahoo campaigns

The reasons are simple:

  • You understand your business / website goals
  • You understand how to track the performance of your keywords
  • You know what products you want to sell, and what products make you the most revenue
  • Once you can do it yourself, or your account has been taken care by some experts you can trust, then you can really focus on the important parts of your business

So for YSM advertisers who do not want Yahoo to make any unexpected changes in your new accounts, opt-out of automatic account optimization immediately!

How other blogs talked about Yahoo’s automatic account optimization:

Comments

Leave your comments

  • Your first comment will be reviewed before getting posted.
  • Your subsequent comments will be posted without review.
  • All spammy comments will be deleted.