TOP STORY

New Sponsored Search Makes Its Debut

Upgraded platform promises an easier, more powerful way to connect to Yahoo!'s vast and valuable audience, with more insight into your ad performance and how to improve it

It has been a long time coming and required a lot of blood, sweat and tears, but the new Yahoo! Sponsored Search platform is live, and we have begun inviting our first U.S. advertisers to upgrade their accounts.

Invitations to upgrade will be sent in stages to U.S. advertisers over the remainder of the year and early next year, so that you can begin using the new interface, features and tools; including fast ad activation, ad testing, geo-targeting, campaign forecasting and more. We firmly believe that you will be very happy with the new system, and find it much easier than ever to manage your account, connect with your customers and maximize your ad spend.

Upgrade Timing and Invitations
We will be sending upgrade invitations to U.S. advertisers in stages over the remainder of the year and early next year, and you'll be notified of your upgrade date at least two weeks in advance. Once you receive this invitation, you'll be able to preview your upgraded account to help you become familiar with the features and the layout of the new control panel, which is called the Yahoo! Marketing Solutions center.

When you're done previewing your new account, you can choose to upgrade your account immediately, rather than waiting for the upgrade date, which should result in your upgraded account closely resembling the preview you saw. If you are invited to upgrade before the end of the year, you will have the option to defer it until after the holiday season to avoid any disruptions to your business and advertising during this important time.

But if you can't wait to get your hands on the new Sponsored Search, you can request that your upgrade date be scheduled as early as possible by requesting an early upgrade.

New Upgrade Center and More
We realize that some advertisers might have some concern about the upgrade, and to allay any fears we have created a ton of resources and information that will help your transition a smooth one. First and foremost, you should make the Upgrade Center your first stop to learn more about what will be happening before, during and after the transition. Full of tips, tutorials and FAQs, the Upgrade Center will help make you an expert on all of the new features within the Yahoo! Marketing Solutions center, as well as on best practices for managing your new Sponsored Search account.

Another resource is the brand-new Help Center, which is designed to answer just about any question you might have about the upgrade. Don't worry about navigating pages and pages of FAQs—just type in a keyword for a topic you're interested in, click "Ask," and our search engine will help find the answer for you.

We have also established a dedicated hotline for any and all questions regarding the upgrade. Our specially trained support team is standing by to help you from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.. Monday through Friday, at (866) YAHOO-98 (866-924-6698).

What's Next
You will continue to receive frequent communications from us during this period, especially as your specific upgrade date approaches. As such, we encourage you to promptly read all emails from Yahoo! and take note of any actions we recommend to help prepare your account for the upgrade.

We look forward to delivering the exciting new Sponsored Search platform to you soon!