Yahoo! Forms Alliance With Overture (Formerly GoTo) To Launch Sponsor Matches Program For Search Results

Yahoo! to Integrate Overture As Its Pay-For-Performance Search Provider Until At Least April 2002

The launch of Sponsor Matches builds on one of Yahoo!'s core strengths as a leading search and directory service. Businesses will be able to reach their targeted consumers more effectively through enhanced placement in search results on keywords that are relevant to their business. Under the agreement, Yahoo!'s search results pages will feature Overture's top five Pay-For-Performance search listings submitted by its growing base of 49,000 advertisers. In order to differentiate between paid and editorial placements within Yahoo!'s search results, enhanced placement listings will be distinguished in clearly demarcated sections. The program will begin on November 15, 2001.

"Yahoo! Sponsor Matches is consistent with our strategy to leverage our core strengths in order to build growing and diverse revenues," said Terry Semel, chairman and chief executive officer, Yahoo! Inc. "Millions of Internet searches conducted on Yahoo! each day are commercial in nature, giving businesses tremendous opportunity to market their products and services through enhanced placement in our search results.

"Our alliance with Overture gives Yahoo! an immediate opportunity to create the Sponsor Matches program. Businesses will benefit from the traction and visibility of Yahoo!'s search and the high quality results and proven cost effective model of Overture," said Semel.

"The category we've built has come a long way in the past few years. We are excited that Yahoo! has chosen to add Pay-For-Performance listings to its world-class search offering," said Ted Meisel, president and chief executive officer, Overture. "We are pleased to enter this mutually beneficial alliance and look forward to the possibility of extending our agreement with Yahoo!."

The introduction of an enhanced placement search program complements Yahoo!'s existing successful directory services, Sponsored Sites and Yahoo! Express. Sponsored Sites is a fee-based service that enables commercial Web sites already listed in the Yahoo! directory to receive enhanced placement in specific commercial categories of the directory. Through Yahoo! Express businesses can pay to expedite the review of their submission for inclusion in the Yahoo! directory.

The primary benefit of Yahoo!'s search and directory is that its human-built directory places a user's search in context. Yahoo! experts appropriately categorize Web sites into an intuitive organizational structure, effectively connecting consumers with the demographic, geographical or subject-based content, services and businesses they need.

About Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is a leading global Internet communications, commerce and media company that offers a comprehensive branded network of services to more than 200 million individuals each month worldwide. As the first online navigational guide to the Web, www.yahoo.com is the leading guide in terms of traffic, advertising, household and business user reach. Yahoo! is the No. 1 Internet brand globally and reaches the largest audience worldwide. The company also provides online business and enterprise services designed to enhance the productivity and Web presence of Yahoo!'s clients. These services include Corporate Yahoo!, a popular customized enterprise portal solution; audio and video streaming; store hosting and management; and Web site tools and services. The company's global Web network includes 24 World properties. Yahoo! has offices in Europe, Asia, Latin America, Australia, Canada and the United States, and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif.