ClickZ rounds up a group of search marketers to get their take on the new Google/AOL partnership, which will offer the opportunity to add graphics to paid listings and buy ads directly from AOL directly. But those who offered their views tended to focus on Microsoft's failure to win over AOL. "Microsoft not winning this is a huge setback for the uptake of adCenter," says Andy Beal of Fortune Interactive. Peter Hershberg of Reprise Media says "this market has needed a legitimate number three," referring to the dominance of search by Google and Yahoo.

If Google or AOL follows MSN's lead by adding demographic targeting and tracking, as AdCenter promises to do, they would be well-placed to compete on those terms, according to Impaqt's Melissa Burgess.

The marketers interviewed weren't too excited about the addition of graphics to paid listings. But they did see possibilities in buying search inventory directly from AOL - because the conversion rates from AOL's search engine traffic are higher than Google's. "For most, it will be a good investment," said Future Now's Bryan Eisenberg.