The first Android-powered phone to be released for AT&T’s wireless network – Motorola’s Backflip – will have Yahoo as its default search engine, rather than Google, making for different mobile search engine optimization (SEO) priorities.
Yahoo vice president David Katz told Bloomberg News in a statement that "we have a long-standing relationship with AT&T and more than 80 carrier partnerships around the world for our award-winning mobile search experience."
Bloomberg said that the deal marks a rare victory for Yahoo over its larger rival. Yahoo has targeted the mobile search market heavily, perhaps noting Google’s dominance of the PC search engine market. The news agency also notes that Yahoo could still have an uphill battle ahead of it in the mobile sector, as Google is the default search engine for the popular iPhone.
Fierce Mobile Content reported that Google would not comment on the deal, saying only that the Backflip "is not a Google-branded product and, therefore, product inquiries should be directed to AT&T and Motorola."
Whether the deal will complicate or simplify mobile search engine optimization (SEO) remains to be seen, experts say.
