Google and Overture Search for Tomorrow

Ya-who?

The CEO of Europe's leading paid-search advertising company flatly denied on Tuesday a press report that his company was in negotiations to be acquired by Internet media company Yahoo! (YHOO Quote).

"Espotting is not being bought by Yahoo!," Espotting's founder, Daniel Ishag, told attendees of a search engine conference in New York. Espotting will show explosive growth over the next few years, Ishag subsequently told TheStreet.com. "That's why we're not for sale."

That sky's-the-limit optimism from the privately held Espotting was typical of the outlook at the Tuesday conference on the business of Internet searching, sponsored by U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray. Though participants in the conference had their problems with Overture Services (OVER Quote), Google and other companies that make money from search engine advertising, people seemed confident that the search business, already an undisputed online advertising success story, is just getting started. ...