Yahoo restates claim on the search market

Yahoo's search deal with Microsoft is still awaiting regulatory approval

Yahoo has held a press conference in which it has restated its position as a player in the search business.

Yahoo chief executive Carol Bartz said in September last year that the company would focus less on search, and more on being an information destination and contextual advertiser.

"We can take costs down and still take 80 per cent of the revenues," she said soon after the firm had signed a 10-year advertising deal with Microsoft.

"And we can add focus to where we add value - in contextual advertising. I don't wake up in the morning and say 'Gosh what am I going to search?' I wake up and say 'what's happening?'."

However, Yahoo has now restated its claim on the search business, despite having handed it over to Microsoft in a deal still awaiting regulatory approval.

"Yahoo has been in search, is in search and will continue to be in search," said Yahoo head of search Shashi Seth.

"That is the stake we have put in the ground. We will continue to show innovation and drive lots of great features and products into the marketplace and wow our users."

The firm also showed off a number of search enhancements which, according to reports, were not very impressive.

The UK press team responsible for Yahoo is following up on our calls for more information.