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The new EVP and Chief Product Officer, Blake Irving hopes that the imminent product launches will help kick-start a new era for Yahoo, who have been largely written off by internet commentators, proclaiming that the once dominant company’s best days are behind them.

Irving has set out a 3 year plan for the company, in which he emphasises the need to bring a “personal meaning to the Web for everyone.” Included in his overview of products up for renewal was Yahoo Mail, Yahoo Search, a new Yahoo iPad app, Twitter integration, and new Connected TV partnerships.

The latter aspect is one which will consume much of Yahoo’s focus over the next few years, with a desire to become a pre-dominantly technological company, rather than a media-oriented one. This is an example of Yahoo trying to invest in the future, and regain a position at the fore of technological innovation; a position they have lost in recent times.

In fact, one of the criticisms of Yahoo is their lack of market-leading or innovatory products or services. They have settled down as a reliable, yet wholly unimpressive entity, leaving the excitement and pioneering to the likes of Google and Apple.

With many users migrating to alternative social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter, Yahoo must address their internal problems, and re-capture their reputation as a leading force in the digital world.

Whilst Irving promises new things, they remain as promises. This is simply not good enough at a time when other firms are actively changing the face of the digital space. For example, Google Instant has dramatically altered the way we search, whilst Twitter has just completed a major site revamp.

That Yahoo is apparently falling behind Bing is a remarkable point, and one which signifies a turning point in the distribution of power amongst the major players online. In terms of SEO UK and US experts will have been familiar with the standard hierarchy of search engines for quite some time, with Google the clear dominator, followed closely by Yahoo. This familiar state of affairs is re-forming, and Yahoo must act quickly to regain some ground.