• Search Engine Land , Friday, July 25, 2008 1:15 PM

In a move that Barry Schwartz calls "one more step away from competing in paid search," Yahoo has announced that it is shutting down its Ambassador Program. The program offered search marketing training and certification, along with a Yahoo-endorsed logo that providers could display on their Web site.

"This would give businesses the confidence they need to sign up with a SEM company to manage their Yahoo campaigns," Schwartz says. "Ambassadors also received extra support from Yahoo in terms of sales and education material."

The company's official stance is that the Ambassador team tried to enhance the program--which also included commissions for referring new advertisers to YSM--but deemed it unworthy after months of evaluation. Schwartz questions whether the termination, slated to occur on Sept. 30, is also indicative of Yahoo prepping for an even more extensive search deal with Google.

Read the whole story at Search Engine Land »