Yahoo! is looking for major British brands to become partners in its newly launched Answers service, according to a media report.

A report by Brand Republic indicates the search engine giant wants to develop a white-label version of the facility, which allows users to ask advice on any topic they wish.

Yahoo!'s European managing director of search Stephen Taylor told the publication that "the company is continuously exploring innovative ways of creating profit from the social search engine".

The deal could mean companies will pay to have Yahoo! Answers featured on their websites, possibly using the facility as an alternative way of providing customer service.

Brand Republic also claims Yahoo! is considering licensing the service to internet service providers and mobile phone operators.

The publication added that Sainsbury's and travel agent company Thomson had become the first branded sponsors of the Answers service.

Last week, Yahoo! claimed it aims to better focus on audiences, advertisers and publishers as it undergoes a company restructure in attempts to surpass rival search engine Google.