Yahoo analytics / Indextools to drop white label

[Receptional]

Yahoo has started to assert it's brand on its acquisition of Indextools [webmasterworld.com] by deciding to dismantle one of Indextools' greatest USPs, it's white label program, changing it to a co-branded system. I guess it was almost inevitable that Yahoo would start to mess with a brilliant tracking system and with an Ego as large as Yahoo's, the white label was probably always going to go. For those that don't know the "big secret", lots of SEOs and web marketers used to use Indextools, but hid the system behind their own branding and logos.

I think the decision to move towards co-branding over white label makes sense - but the announcement (which I received by email, so can't link to) has a disastrous sting in the tail. The transition for white labellers will be in stages and ... at some point in 2009... Indextools partners will be asked to persuade their clients to change the tracking code!

Now... that sounds like a crazy thing for Yahoo to do. If they are planning to force a change in tracking code, they are forcing partners to reconsider a tracking system. If partners are to put their new code on client sites, then why not put in Microsoft's new Adcenter analytics or some other third party system instead?

Sounds like commercial suicide to me.

[cfx211]

Commercial suicide in the analytics market perhaps, but if the larger goal is to try to resurrect their PPC business (which has a much larger market), then it makes sense if they intend to follow Big G and integrate their analytics and PPC programs together.

[Receptional]

That may be. Good point.

Then again, when Google made the same leap, they at least made sure the legacy "Urchin" code still worked as well as it could. If they need EVERY IndexTools user to put new code into the site, then they only bought the IndexTools for the technology and none of the marketshare. That's their perogative, but I suspect IndexTools' clients are primarily early adopters and influencers of opinion in the market - so if they can't technically achieve an implementation without making everyone change the code, they should just leave the white label alone and not try to integrate it. We use the IndexTools backend to compare conversion data between different ad networks already - makes much more sense than looking at adwords or Adcenter in isolation.

[cgrantski]

Long-time indextools users are not only influencers of opinion, they are in a position to get many new users over the hump through forums like this or possibly consulting. And the long-time users are in the best position to advise the new indextools developers who will doubtless make a lot of missteps without that experience base to draw on.

I've seen the same thing happen with WebTrends except WebTrends made some good moves. When WebTrends formed a Customer Advisory Board that met twice a year, they did a big service for themselves.

[Receptional]

I'd welcome such a move from Yahoo. (especially if they held it in Hungary or West Coast!). I'm not sure if their egos are up to receiving the feedback as much as the old owners were, but that would be a darn good idea.

So how about it Yahoo? or am I wishing in the wind?