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April 6, 2005

More On Analytic Vendor Access To Yahoo's API

Earlier I posted how Yahoo was apparently not allowing some analytics vendors access to its advertiser API. Controversy Mounts over Yahoo! API Access from ClickZ follows up on that story, noting that the newly-formed Web Analytics Association put out a statement saying it was concerned about any restricted access. For its part, Yahoo put out its own statement saying that there's no change to its intent to provide open access.

Specifically, Yahoo is telling everyone:

Yahoo! Search Marketing's (Overture) position on APIs and open access has not changed. We support all advertisers, SEMs and agencies that desire to have direct access through APIs, and continue to expand the numbers of companies participating in our program.

In addition, we've been working proactively with web analytics companies to determine how they would like to add value to their customers' campaign tracking needs, how we can expand our API program to help them achieve that, and how that can extend the value of advertising on Yahoo! and the Overture network. This does not represent a change in policy for Overture / Yahoo!

WebSideStory, the analytics firm named as having been denied access, didn't comment in the article. Frank Watson, who raised the issue of the denial in his blog and in this Search Engine Watch Forum thread, explained his understanding was that the denial was more of a "not now" rather than a "not at all," suggesting that new analytics vendors not already using the API may get access in the future.

Posted by Danny Sullivan on April 6, 2005 7:42 PM