Yahoo! will release details of its upgraded ads system today, as it prepares to up its game against Microsoft and Google.

The new system is expected to offer better keyword searches, improved tracking for advertisers and support for video and sound ads. The position of adverts will be decided by several different measures rather than just bid price. Microsoft announced changes to its AdCenter product last week to help it chase Google's biggest business.

Advertisers will see an estimate of how many clicks they should expect from buying different keywords.

Yahoo! is releasing APIs today to allow developers to integrate their software with Yahoo's ad system. The full system is expected in the third quarter.

The news has been expected since Yahoo! bought Overture in 2003.

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