Microsoft and Yahoo have finally put together a search deal and it has been signed. Offers were on the table regarding this a little while back, but nothing eventuated.

Well the reality is here and the deal is now done. This was probably the only way they can have a real push against the search giant Google. It will be interesting to see how Google resonds to the new powerhouse of Microsoft and Yahoo and it will be more interesting to see if there is any effect on the marketshare for the big G.

Let’s look at what we can expect from the new deal between Microsoft and Yahoo.

• This is a 10 year deal
• Bing will be the new engine of choice
• Yahoo will take care of premium advertising
• Self serve advertisers will use Adcenter
• Yahoo will use the Bing engine, but will control the look and feel (so as to not scare away existing Yahoo fans)
• The move to Bing should start in 3-6 months
• Moves to Adcenter from Yahoo will take about 12 months

I don’t know what to expect of this deal but I am hoping for big things. Google is notorious for treating its advertisers like crap, so any moves to shake up their monopoly will be great for the industry.