Google-Yahoo! ad trial "successful"

9th May 2008

The advertising tie-up trial between Google and Yahoo! worked well, according to Google chiefs.

Eric Schmidt, chief executive of Google, said before the company's annual meeting this week that the two-week pilot initiative, which saw the firms collaborate on advertising, was "successful".

A report published in Reuters earlier this month suggested that final details of such an arrangement between the two search pioneers had not yet been determined.

But it was thought that a deal could see Google ads appear on Yahoo! search results.

According to the BBC, some commentators have expressed doubts about the extent to which the deal was genuine, or just a tactic to stave off a takeover attempt by Microsoft.

But Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer walked away from Yahoo! last weekend, following which Google expressed positive sentiments about a prospective tie-up.

"We have been talking to Yahoo and we are very excited to be working with them," said co-founder Sergey Brin.

"We share a lot of values with them."