Do Smaller Advertisers Do Better With Google?

Danny Sullivan points to a survey that shows Outsell survey of 1,200 advertisers last November that found 71 percent found search ads on Google were effective, compared to 62 percent on Yahoo and 49 percent on MSN. Google's contextualization targeting does seem more advanced, so I'm sure this survey is spot on. I wonder, since MSN was serving Yahoo ads, why would their ads be so much less effective? Is Yahoo screwing MSN on technology, or is Yahoo supplying the ads, not the targeting? We'll have to wait for AdCenter for results that accurately reflect on MSN, however. Google did make its mark on the long tail of advertising, and I guess its showing. Is the message that larger advertisers need look elsewhere to reach a broader, consumer-focused audience? I don't think that's a message Google should like. It needs its advertising products to appeal to advertisers both large and small. InsideGoogle blog, offering the latest news and insights about Google and search engines.