Microsoft and Yahoo deal gets stamp of approval

Competition in the search engine world is about to get steeper and it may result in better, faster searches for users under a new agreement with Microsoft and Yahoo.

The two companies received a green light last week from the Justice Department and the European Union for a search engine deal likely to increase competition with Google. Under the terms of the 10-year agreement, Microsoft's Bing will become the search engine on Yahoo websites. And Yahoo will, in turn, focus on core news, financial and sports properties and new ways to deliver Microsoft's search results to Yahoo users.

The Justice Department said in a statement that it's a good deal for the industry and won't harm Internet users or online publishers.

"U.S. market participants express support for the transaction and believe that combining the parties' technology would be likely to increase competition by creating a more viable competitive alternative to Google, the firm that now dominates these markets," the Justice Department said.

What does it mean for your bottom line? Probably not much. But it may mean a great deal for your business practices as you rely on search engines to develop business and keep your operations humming.

For more on the Microsoft-Yahoo deal:
- see this eWeek.com article
- see this Wall Street Journal article

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