Yahoo and McAfee teamed up to make the Web search a safer experience by introducing the SearchScan feature, which alerts users of dangerous sites in terms of spyware, adware and other malicious software that can damage their computers, and also helps them avoid sites that can flood their inboxes with spam emails.

More specifically, what this partnership will do is stop malicious sites from appearing in the Yahoo Search results. SearchScan is still in its beta period, and will be available to users in the U.S., Canada, UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Australia, and New Zealand.

"The new SearchScan feature from Yahoo Search makes searching the Web even safer than ever before,” Vish Makhijani, senior vice president and general manager of Yahoo Search, said in a statement. “No other search engine today offers this level of warning before visiting sites that can damage or infect a user's PC and cost them valuable time and money. Through this partnership with McAfee, we can offer users a safer search experience and drive more users to make Yahoo! Search their starting point on the Web."

According to Yahoo, 65 percent of Americans online are more afraid of clicking unsafe websites than of having their wallet stolen or being the victim of an email scam. This is the reason why Yahoo and McAfee decided to take action, and warn users if a site is safe before actually visiting it, which, as Yahoo said, is a major step forward to making the online searching experience safer.

According to Tim Dowling, McAfee vice president, 4 out of 5 website visits start with a search. “The advanced warning offered by McAfee SiteAdvisor is one of the strongest weapons in the battle against online threats,” he said, adding that from now on, users will be protected from “known malicious threats such as browser exploits that will wreck their PC with a single click or spyware that can lead to identity theft.”

During the beta period, SearchScan will not include all McAfee SiteAdvisor red ratings, Yahoo said, but will display McAfee alerts optimal for the Yahoo search user.