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Yahoo Search Marketing recently switched to a quality-based pricing model, which could lower costs for advertisers.

Yahoo Responds To QBP Conspiracy Theories

Some people saw Yahoo's pricing model switch as one that might be a little less beneficial to advertisers as well as the site publishers who could receive less revenue from Yahoo ad clicks. On the advertiser side, some fretted Yahoo had its best interests in mind, at their ad clients' expense.

Suggestions that Yahoo wants to damage the good start its had with the revamped search advertising system, Panama, by hitting advertisers harder in the wallet were dismissed on the Yahoo Search Marketing blog.

"There seems to be a perception in some quarters of the blogosphere that we launched QBP with the purpose of using the knowledge we gain about publisher conversion rates to raise prices on clicks from high-converting publishers," said Yahoo.

"Sorry to ruin the fun of a good conspiracy theory, but we really did launch QBP to help provide better ROI to advertisers."

It was revealed in comments on Yahoo's post that conversion rate data does affect prices. As to how much, Yahoo isn't saying.

"Yes, conversion rate is an important factor in determining pricing, along with other factors, but we’re simply not at liberty to divulge the entire recipe. Sorry," Michael Mattis wrote in response to a question about that hot topic.

(I will be away from the Net for several days on a well-earned holiday. See you again on the 19th. - David)