Internet search provider Yahoo is about to embark on renewed efforts improve its search capabilities and advertising platforms, two areas of its business operation that have weighed on profitability and scared off investors, AllThingsD reported on its website Tuesday.
Citing an internal memorandum, freshly minted CEO Marissa Mayer — an alumna of Internet giant Google — will roll out the strategy, which aims to provide a better user experience, in a series of meetings that begin Tuesday. The website said Yahoo’s new look was not yet set in stone, and could be subject to alterations.
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"Everything she is doing is about the consumer experience," an unnamed source told AllThingsD. "Nothing else matters to her, even if it might matter to the bottom line."
According to the report, Mayer first unveiled her strategy to the board of directors late last week. Another all-hands meeting will take place on Oct. 1, AllThingsD said, which will mark the introduction of new systems and processes for the company, as part of a broad overhaul for Yahoo. (Read more: .)
The website reported that Mayer’s plan involves “doubling down” on search and advertising, with more resources devoted to both, as well as revamping its search partnership with tech giant Microsoft. In order to address concerns about client usability, Yahoo also intends to reboot its free email service and its home page.
“People who have seen the mock-ups describe them both as more social and as more of a dashboard approach for users than the traditional catch-all portal,” the report said, adding that the redesign would make Yahoo’s platform more akin to the Facebook experience, yet with content and products that set Yahoo apart from its competition.
Mayer is also planning to beef up 10 key areas, that include its news portals for finance and sports news, AllThingsD stated. (Disclosure: CNBC has a content-sharing partnership with Yahoo.)
The AllThingsD report comes as Yahoo is aiming to crack down on leaks of internal memorandums. According to the website, general counsel Ron Bell is taking a hard line against unauthorized public disclosures — going so far last week as to issue a memo last week entitled “Leaks Uncool.” Ironically, that memo was leaked to business and tech bloggers.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated Merissa Mayer once worked for Facebook. She worked for Google.
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