HK1140279A - Dynamic bid pricing for sponsored search - Google Patents

Description

Dynamic bid generation for sponsored search

Background

The present invention relates generally to methods and apparatus for online searching and advertising. More particularly, the present invention relates to dynamic bid pricing for sponsored searches.

Sponsored search systems allow advertisers and information providers a greater degree of control over the presentation of their advertisements or online information to users of online systems. U.S. Pat. No.6,269,361, published 7/21 2001 and commonly assigned with the present application, entitled "System and Method For entering A position on A Search List Generated By A Computer Network Search Engine," discloses one such sponsored Search System. Such a system provides a method for managing search listings of information providers or advertisers in a pay for placement search database. A paid ranking search system allows information providers to bid on keywords or search terms. A paid placement search system or sponsored search marketplace is provided by an online service provider that maintains the necessary databases and servers to provide online access to users and advertisers or information providers. The information provider's search listings typically include search terms and other text or banner advertisements that are searched for matches to the submitted search query. A user uses a browser program to submit a search query to a search engine that searches a database of search terms including a search listing of an information provider. An example of such a system can be found on search marking. U.S. patent No.6,268,361 is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

In such systems, when a user searches a database through a search engine for a particular keyword or search entry that an information provider has bid on, the information provider's search listing is displayed to the user along with other search results. Generally, search listings with higher bid amounts are displayed more prominently in the search results, typically at the top of the listing that is first viewed by the user. If the user clicks through (click through) the search listing, the user's browser is redirected to the information provider's site and the information provider is charged an amount equal to the amount it bids on the search listing.

Thus, pricing of information in such systems corresponds to the bid amount set by the information provider. The bid amount is managed by the information provider during bidding of the campaign. Information providers can increase or decrease bids for keywords based on various factors including advertising budget, market conditions, and the presence and activity of other information providers in the sponsored search marketplace. Other bid formulation models have been developed for sponsored search systems.

There are a number of other factors that are not currently considered in sponsored search pricing models. For example, the marketplace may be more dynamic and may change faster than the information providers can react to manage their bids. One example is a sudden outbreak of popularity or interest for a celebrity or product. In such cases, the relative pricing in the sponsored search marketplace will not accurately reflect the actual market value of the information related to the celebrity or product. In this case, there is a time lag between actual market interest and market pricing.

Currently, the primary search engine operators (e.g., Yahoo | Inc. and Google Inc.) who offer sponsored search services to advertisers make available to the advertisers user query data surrounding keywords and phrases to assist in the bidding process. In Yahoo! While companies provide actual query counts for selected keywords or phrases and approximate equivalents over a fixed period of time, Google company represents the relative popularity of selected keywords or phrases and approximate equivalents over a fixed period of time using only unlabeled histograms and graphs. The advertiser can then make an informed decision as to which keywords or phrases are relatively more popular and thus which are likely to be bid worth and if so how much. However, the user query information provided is very static, as it only gives a snapshot of the user query information from the recent past.

Accordingly, there is a need in the sponsored search field for an improved system and method for pricing information provided by advertisers and information providers.

Disclosure of Invention

By way of introduction only, in one embodiment, a method for an online sponsored search system includes storing a database having a plurality of entries. At least some of the entries include at least one keyword and a dollar amount associated with the corresponding advertiser. The method also includes receiving information regarding current user preferences within the online sponsored search system. When the received user information is related to a keyword associated with an entry, the method includes automatically adjusting the amount of money for the entry based on the received user preference information. In response to the received user query, the method includes retrieving entries relevant to the received user search query and generating a search result list including matching entries. The method then includes sorting the matching entries according to the adjusted amounts associated with the matching entries.

In a second embodiment, a method for an online sponsored search system includes storing a database having a plurality of entries. At least some of the entries include at least one keyword and a dollar amount associated with the corresponding advertiser. The method also includes receiving information regarding current user preferences within the online sponsored search system. When the received user information is related to a keyword associated with an entry, the method includes automatically adjusting the amount of money for the entry based on the received user preference information. In response to designating a web page as to receive sponsored advertisements, the method includes identifying items that are relevant to the subject matter of one or more portions of the web page. The method then includes determining which items are to be displayed and their ranking on the web page according to the adjusted amounts associated with the related items.

In a third embodiment, a sponsored search system includes a sponsored search database storing a plurality of entries, at least some of which are associated with an advertiser and include at least one keyword and an amount. The sponsored search system also includes a user preference and navigation information system that determines information about current user interests in the system. In addition, the system includes an information web server that includes a search engine responsive to a user's search query to a sponsored search database and a bid amount adjustment engine responsive to information about current user interest. The information web server returns a set of search listings to the user in response to the user query, the set of search listings being ordered based at least in part on information about current user interests.

In a fourth embodiment, a computer-based user interface for controlling advertiser bid amounts in an online sponsored search system includes a data entry point that receives a user indication of a bid adjustment response from an advertiser for upward or downward movement of user interest activities within the online sponsored search system. The user interface also includes a bid data entry point that receives a bid adjustment increment from an advertiser.

Drawings

FIG. 1 illustrates an online information system;

FIG. 2 illustrates the relative popularity of topics over time in the online information system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method for operating the online search system of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating in detail one embodiment of block 304 of FIG. 3.

Detailed Description

By way of introduction only, in systems and methods according to the present disclosure, dynamic pricing reflecting fluctuating market preferences for a given content item may be established by correlating tags and keywords associated with a given sponsored search advertisement ranking with fluctuating popularity of associated keywords in a search engine query.

When an advertiser uses a web page such as Yahoo! Advertisers bid on keywords (or key phrases) associated with products or services they want to promote when the company is in a sponsored search system provided by search marking. The goal of an advertiser is to cause one or more hyperlinks leading to the advertiser's web site or to the e-commerce partner's web site to appear in the user search query results when the user searches for keywords or phrases bid on by the advertiser. The bid amount and its size relative to other advertisers 'bid amounts for the same keyword or phrase will determine where (if any) the advertiser's sponsored links appear on the search results page returned to the user who entered the corresponding search query. By linking their bid amount for selected keywords or phrases to fluctuations in the frequency of user queries for those keywords or phrases, advertisers can dynamically and automatically transform their bidding strategies to better obtain a desired ranking on the user search results page. The terms "keyword" and "key phrase" are used interchangeably herein.

U.S. patent application No.11/615,602 entitled "Dynamic Pricing Models for digital content," filed on 22.12.2006, discloses a Dynamic Pricing model that facilitates online removal of distribution of digital content. This patent application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Digital content includes online information such as news articles, images, video, and audio. In the application incorporated herein, pricing of digital content is based on relatively current aggregate information about internet user behavior and preferences. By reflecting internet user preferences and the relatively recent changes in those preferences in pricing for associated content items, content owners may receive greater sales of digital content items at price points that better reflect market user demand.

The system according to the present embodiment provides one or more sources of aggregated internet user preference data. Data generated by search engines regarding user queries and navigation patterns can provide very convincing useful information regarding the overall needs and preferences of an internet user population for obtaining or accessing certain types of information. Such aggregated information provides an excellent way to truly understand the market needs of users for different products, services, and items of information and entertainment. Thus, such aggregated information reflecting ever-shifting user preferences may advantageously be used to dynamically set or reset advertiser bids for keywords and phrases associated with the advertiser's products and services and related to such user preferences.

The pricing model disclosed herein assumes that information providers in the sponsored search marketplace have direct access to one or more information sources that capture relatively current aggregated information about internet user preferences and behaviors. These information sources include search request information received by a search engine and web sites accessed by a user through the search engine.

Such as Yahoo! Algorithmic search engines provided by companies register millions of keyword search queries per day. Virtually all internet users typically rely on search engines to locate web sites, information, and commercial items of interest. Thus, since a search engine operator captures millions of user queries once they are entered, the search engine operator has access to a rich data store of which topics are generating greater or lesser interest (user interest) at a given point in time. In addition, the information is captured in near real-time. In this context, real-time or near real-time refers to a span of time that is substantially simultaneous with the user's interaction with the search engine. Search requests and related information may be stored while being received from users accessing the search engine and then processed for other applications. There is no more than a few milliseconds of delay between the receipt of user web and search interactions and the processing of those interactions for use by other facilities of the online service provider. In some applications, real-time or near real-time operation may be desirable. However, in other applications, it may be desirable to allow additional time for processing user interactions such that all desired types of user interest and user behavior data surrounding a given keyword or phrase may be appropriately correlated, weighted and normalized for further use. Thus, the disclosed invention includes the use of relatively current user interaction data for other applications, such as dynamic bid pricing, whether the processing of such interaction data for such applications is performed in real-time, near real-time, or after a delay.

In addition, once a list of relevant search results is returned in response to a given query, the search engine operator captures near real-time information about those websites of interest to which the user is directed. This may be referred to as information about user behavior. After a list of search results matching the user query is presented to the user, the user may click through one or more of the search results. The click-through is received at the facility of the online service provider and recorded there. The click through is recorded to credit the account of the advertiser associated with the clicked search listing. Additionally, the click through may be recorded to track user behavior. The click-through provides information about the destination to which the user is directed from the online service provider's website.

In addition, the browser may provide information regarding the user's interaction with information provided to the user by the online service provider through the browser. For example, the amount of time a user spends viewing a search result list may be tracked and reported to an online service provider for tracking and processing. In addition, mouse activity of the user when viewing a search result list or subsequent pages directed by the user may also be reported, tracked, and processed.

In this way, data about user queries, browser interactions, and navigation patterns may be collected by search engine operators. The collected data may be further processed and aggregated to expose the needs and preferences of the internet user population. As used herein, the term "user preferences" shall mean, without limitation, any combination or single example of concepts for user activities performed by a client device, such as the following activities: user queries, user-browser interactions, user navigation patterns, user interests, and user behaviors.

This aggregated information provides an excellent tool for understanding the market needs of users for different products, services and items of information and entertainment. Methods for capturing and organizing these interest levels from users are disclosed and taught in U.S. Pat. No.7,146,416. Related embodiments may be found in Yahoo! Company provided for creating Yahoo |! The Buzz index is obtained online in the art. Thus, this aggregated information reflecting ever-changing user preferences may then be advantageously used to dynamically and automatically set and reset advertiser bids for sponsored keywords and phrases. The use of such relatively current user preference information enables advertisers to better correlate specific bid amounts for keywords and phrases with desired user search activity surrounding those keywords and phrases.

For some advertisers, the increased user query volume around keywords and key phrases that the advertisers have bid on may translate into higher click-throughs to the advertiser's sponsored links returned on the search results page. Depending on the type of business of the advertiser, the advertiser's budget, and the overall impact on brand awareness or sales, some advertisers may want to increase the ranking of their sponsored advertisements on search results pages in response to a surge in the amount of user queries surrounding the keywords and phrases bid on by the advertiser. This would mean a willingness to increase bids on those keywords and phrases, in anticipation that the greater traffic generated as a result of the greater query volume would likely offset any increase in advertising costs due to the higher user click-through volume for the advertiser's better-ranked sponsored ad links. However, certain other advertisers that have a fixed budget or increased query volume that would not necessarily result in a proportional increase in brand awareness or sales may wish to reduce the bid amount for keywords and phrases in response to a surge in bid-upon keyword or phrase query volume. This will result in a worsening of their sponsored ad placement on the search results page in response to a surge in bid-upon keyword and phrase user query volumes, which in turn helps to "normalize" the actual user click-through rate of the advertiser's sponsored ad links.

One preferred embodiment of the dynamic bid pricing model disclosed herein may at least turn to a large, commonly used algorithmic search engine as the primary source of aggregated information reflecting user preferences. However, it should be understood that any repository of relatively current information reflecting user preferences may be used to provide aggregated information for dynamically setting pricing for content items. For example, such information sources may include databases containing regularly updated survey response data or those containing regularly updated actual sales figures for business items that are closely related to the subject matter (or related to the provided keyword identification entry).

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates an online information system 100. The online information system 100 is specifically adapted to provide information and advertisements in response to search queries from online users. The online information system 100 includes a user client system 102, an advertiser client system 104, an information web server 106, an information database 108, an account management system 110, a user preference and navigation system 112, and a user database 114. The components of the system communicate data and information over one or more communication networks, such as communication network 116.

In one embodiment, the online information system 100 is a sponsored search system. Sponsored search systems allow advertisers to bid on keywords or search terms in an online marketplace. Sponsored search markets are provided by online service providers who maintain the necessary databases and servers to provide online access to users and advertisers or information providers. The information provider's search listings typically include search terms and other text or banner advertisements that are searched to match the submitted search query. A user uses a browser program to submit a search query to a search engine that searches a database of search terms including a search listing of information providers. Advertisers control bid amounts, which are in turn used to rank search listings that match the search query and are sent to the user. In general, a higher bid amount results in the search listing being placed closer to the top of the search results, which is more desirable because it is more likely to be seen by the user. If the user clicks on the advertiser's search listing or performs other actions, an amount equal to the bid is transferred from the advertiser to the online service provider. Other variations of sponsored search systems are possible, and the features described herein may be readily extended to other systems.

An example of a sponsorship system is Yahoo! Com, the world wide web. Other examples include information providers that cooperate with such online systems, such as providing users with information initiated from a user such as Yahoo! Advertisers or other information providers of information at systems such as the systems operated by the companies. Likewise, the features described herein may be extended to collaborative systems as well.

The user client system 102 may access the online information system 100 via the communication network 116 to search for information about a topic of interest. For example, a user of the user client system 102 may submit a query to the information web server 106 via the communication network 116, and the information web server 106 may be implemented on a server or other system that is allowed to use the network. The query in one embodiment comprises a keyword or a key phrase.

The user client system 102 connects to the information web server 106 and the information web server 106 via the communication network 116 using a standard browser application. The browser-based implementation enables system features to be accessed regardless of the underlying platform of the user client system 102. For example, the user client system 102 may be a desktop, laptop, handheld computer, cell phone, mobile messaging device, network-enabled television, digital video recorder, automobile, or other network-enabled user client system 102 that may use various hardware and/or software packages. In FIG. 1, the user client system is shown to include a computer such as a desktop computer or a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) capable of communication. The user client system 102 may connect to the information web server 106 using a stand-alone application, which may or may not be platform-dependent. Other methods may also be used to implement the user client system 102.

Advertiser client systems 104 may be used by network information providers such as advertisers or owners of advertising web sites having advertiser web pages. For simplicity, only one advertiser client system is shown in the illustration of FIG. 1. It is intended that any number of advertiser client systems may access system 100.

An advertiser may maintain an advertiser account on account management system 110 to provide advertisements to users on the system. The advertisements may include banner advertisements, bidded advertisements, or any other form of advertisement. These information providers or advertisers may wish to access advertiser account information located on the account management system 110. In one example, an information provider may engage in a competitive bidding process with other advertisers through an advertiser account located on the account management system 110 to place information in front of a user based on expressed user interests. Advertisers may bid on any number of search terms that are relevant to the content of the advertiser's web site. An example of such an online Search Engine System is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.6,269,361, entitled "System and Method for underfilling a Position on a Search result List Generated by a Computer Network Search Engine" and assigned to Overture Services, Inc. In another example, an advertiser may specify a banner advertisement to be placed on a web page sent to a user accessing information on the system.

The advertiser client systems 104 may also access the online information system 100 via a communication network 116. Advertisers using advertiser client systems 104 submit advertisements, search listings, and other content to information database 108 and information web server 106. Advertisers can manage competition for individual search listings and many search listings targeted to aggregate user profiles (campaigns). Managing the search listing includes preparing and editing the text, title, and keywords or key phrases of the search listing. In addition, managing the search listing includes setting a Universal Resource Locator (URL) to which the user's browser is redirected once the search listing is clicked through. Further, managing the search listing includes setting a bid amount for the search listing. The bid amount affects the ordering of the search listing among other search listings that are presented to the user as search results. Managing search listings may be done manually by an advertiser, such as accessing a website provided by an operator of an online search system. Alternatively, managing the search listing may be done automatically by a machine such as a computer, for example, using extensible markup language (XML) to access the operator's website including the information web server 106.

It is to be appreciated that the components of the presence information system 100 can be separate, supported on a single server or other network-enabled system, or supported by any combination of servers or network-enabled systems. Various communication devices may be used to provide data communication between components of the online information system.

The communication network 116 may be any private or public communication network or combination of networks. The communication network 116 may be configured to couple a computing device, such as a server, system, database, or other network-enabled device, to another device to enable data communication between the computing devices. The communication network 116 may generally be enabled to utilize any form of machine-readable media for communicating information from one computing device to another. The communication network 116 may include one or more of a wireless network, a wired network, a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a direct connection such as through a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, etc., and may include a set of interconnected networks that make up the internet. The communication network 116 includes any communication method by which information may be communicated between computing devices.

The account management system 110 includes computer storage media 120 and a processing system 122. The database is stored on the storage medium 120 of the account management system 110. The database contains account information for advertisers. The processing system 122 may be accessible by an information provider operating the advertiser client system 104.

The information web server 106 includes a search engine 124 and a bid amount adjustment engine 126. The information web server 108 operates in conjunction with the information database 108. Information database 108 forms a sponsored search database that stores search listings for advertisers that access information web server 106 and database 108. The search engine 124 responds to user search queries to the sponsored search database 108. That is, the search engine 124 receives a search query in the form of a keyword or a key phrase. The search engine 124 compares the search listings stored in the database 108 with the received query. If one or more search listings have a matching relationship to the search query, then a matching search listing is added to the search result set. A match relationship means that the search listing matches the search query in a predetermined manner (e.g., according to a matching rule). For example, the search query may be typified by removing common suffixes, prefixes, or other nonsense words. If the search term that is typified matches the canonical form of the keyword of the database 108, a match is determined and the search listing associated with the matching keyword is added to the search results list.

The user preference and navigation information system 112 is configured to determine information about current user interests and behavior within the online sponsored search system. The user database 114 in this embodiment stores information about all transactions and interactions in the system 100. For example, information about all search queries is stored in user database 114. This corresponds to information about the topic of current interest to the user. Further, information about all click throughs is stored in the user database 114. In addition, information about all click-through actions of the user is also stored. Thus, if a user clicks into an advertiser's website and takes an action such as subscribing to a newsletter, making an online purchase, providing a credit card number, or filling out a customer information form, the action may be reported back to the system 100. Information about the action is then stored in the user database 114.

In addition, some browser applications provide information about all the activities of the browser. For example, the browser reports the time that the web page remains displayed on the computer. Some browsers report all user activities, such as text entered on a computer keyboard or mouse actions, including mouse-over operations where the mouse is moved to an area of the screen but a click is not entered. The browser may operate under the control of code downloaded from the URL of the system 100 using a web page. In response, the browser monitors and reports some or all of the user's activities on the user system 102. This information is all reported to the system 100 by the browser and stored in the user database.

The raw information may be used to draw conclusions about the current user preferences, as will be described in more detail below in connection with fig. 2. For example, a large number of search queries for the same or similar keywords indicates an increase in user interest in topics related to those keywords. Further, the information in user database 114 may be aggregated or analyzed to draw additional conclusions. For example, the frequency of search queries over a set period of time for the same or similar keywords or for related topics may indicate a user interest that is proliferating. Other types of analysis may also be performed. In the illustrated embodiment, this analysis is performed by the user preference and navigation information system 112 operating in conjunction with information stored in the user database 114.

The user preference and navigation information system 112 thus serves as a useful source of information regarding the overall needs and preferences of the Internet user population for obtaining or accessing certain types of information. Such aggregated information provides an excellent way to closely understand the market needs of users for different products, services, and items of information and entertainment. This aggregated information reflecting changing user preferences may thus be used to dynamically set and reset advertiser bids for keywords and phrases associated with the advertiser's products and services and related to these user preferences. Thus, the information provided by the user preference and navigation information system 112 enables automatic bid adjustments to be made in relation to changes in relative current market demand (as reflected by overall changes in user query patterns). This allows advertisers on the sponsored search system 100 to get a better return on investment through the sponsored search system.

Thus, when a search query is received at the information web server 106, the query is provided to the search engine 124 to identify matching search listings for the information database 108. The matching search listings are collected in a set of search results.

Separately, the bid amount adjustment engine 126 obtains information about current user interests within the online sponsored search system from the user preference and navigation information system 112, as formed by the user preference and navigation information system 112. This information can be used by the bid amount adjustment engine 126 to automatically adjust the bids or amounts of entries in the information database 108. When the search engine 124 subsequently sorts the search results into a search result list, the conventional sorting process according to bid amount may be maintained. Alternatively, the bid amount adjustment engine 126 may provide information about the current user interests to the search engine 124. In this case, the search engine 124 modifies the ordering of the search results in the search result list based on information about the current user interests.

The search result list is then transmitted to the user who initiated the search query. In this case, the set of search listings is ordered based at least in part on information about current user interests within the sponsored search system 100. The result is a dynamic pricing model for the system 100. Instead of being fixed or merely changing in response to advertiser bid adjustments, the system automatically dynamically adjusts bid prices in a sponsored search system based on the relative popularity or interest level of users of the system.

In an alternative embodiment, the online information system 100 of FIG. 1 provides advertisements to web pages that are sent to online users in response to requests from the users. The online information system 100 detects the topic of the web page or the topic of one or more portions of the web page. The web page in one embodiment is pre-designated to receive sponsored advertisements. Sponsored advertisements are related to the subject matter of a web page. The online information system 100 identifies items such as advertisements that are related to the identified subject matter. In this manner, the advertisements and other content of the web page sent to the user may be tailored to the interests of the user, thereby increasing the usefulness of the web page to the user and increasing the likelihood that the user will click on the advertisements contained on the web page.

In one example, the user clicks on a link to a page related to fitness. The online information system 100 receives the click, retrieves from the information database 106 or any other source information about the subject matter of the clicked page. The online information system 100 then retrieves from the information database 106 or another source information defining advertisements associated with the subject matter of the page to be sent to the user. In this case, a list of topics matching "fitness" would be retrieved and one or more matching lists would be used to populate the web page before it is sent to the user with the requested information. For example, advertisements for exercise devices and personal training services may be included in a web page depending on factors for advertisement selection and targeting.

Selection of a subject matter listing to be included on a web page is based on the amount bid by the advertiser associated with the corresponding search listing. Generally, larger amounts or bids are given a more significant ranking to increase the likelihood that the advertisement will be clicked on by the user viewing the web page.

In accordance with the presented embodiments, the selection and ranking of search listings or advertisements sent to a user is determined based at least in part on current user preference information. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, such user preference information is determined and stored by user preference and navigation information system 112. However, any source of user preference information may be used. Further, in one embodiment, both the amount bid by the advertiser and the user preference information may be used to determine whether the advertisement is included in the web page and a ranking in the web page.

FIG. 2 illustrates the relative popularity of topics over time in the online information system of FIG. 1. More specifically, FIG. 2 illustrates a scoring model of search popularity for a person called "Star X" over a period of time that includes the release of a movie involving Star X followed by a news flash about Star X. Fig. 2 shows interest information from four sources, news featured scores 202, movie featured scores 204, talk show featured scores 206, and average scores 208. The scoring model of fig. 2 is merely illustrative.

The scoring model of fig. 2 shows popularity for star X as a function of time. The simple scenario modeled in fig. 2 takes a 10 week shot of events in the life of star X and the output/consumption of information about star X as reflected in user search queries (or other captured representations of user interests) in three sections (news, movies, and video). At the second week of the graph, a new movie involving star X was released. Star X starts to appear more frequently in talk shows two weeks before the movie is released, and even more frequently after this occurrence in the release week and weeks after the release. Thus, again, the news feature mentioning or focusing on star X starts to increase just before the movie release and then more as the movie is released. Two weeks after release, the movie begins to decline in box office popularity. Thus, the incidence of news articles and talk shows promoting star X may also be reduced. Then, at about week eight, a news rumble involving Celebrity X was reported in the news, resulting in a further increase in the general interest of Celebrity X by users of the sponsored search system. The snooze also plays a role in promoting the movie box office to a certain extent and the requirement for the appearance of star X on talk show.

To take a more detailed example, the overall relative popularity of star X may be determined by focusing on only a combination of focusing on star X or queries about star X in all portions of one or more search engines. These cross-section results may be advantageously used as factors in the disclosed dynamic pricing model. However, as shown in FIG. 2, to determine a dynamic price point for an item related to a keyword for which any differences in search query frequency within two or more search segments may be compared and weighed requires a more finely tuned assessment of popularity for the keyword.

The graphical points shown in FIG. 2 are intended to show weighted or unweighted scores that may be assigned to targeted search queries within news, movie, and video search segments within one or more algorithmic search engines. This method assumes that the talk show portion advertising star X is provided online as viewable video clips that can be searched in the video clips of a conventional algorithmic search engine. Alternatively, both the news featured scores 202 and the movie featured scores 204 may be derived from query popularity in an equivalent algorithmic search engine segment, while the talk show featured scores 206 are derived from a dedicated database of viewer ratings for individual television programs.

Thus, the dynamic pricing model illustrated above in connection with FIG. 1 may be tailored to a particular audience. If a search listing associated with star X, as described herein, is provided to a general group of consumers using dynamic pricing, the online search system may affect the average level of query popularity for star X across all search segments. However, if the target market for search information about star X is a news media producer, then dynamic pricing may only affect the query popularity of star X in news search segments. With the latter approach, the pricing for the star X search list will be slightly higher and higher for a period of time after the beginning of the news flash of star X, as shown in fig. 2.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for operating the online search system of FIG. 1. More specifically, FIG. 3 illustrates a method in which a repository of online search information, such as user database 114 of FIG. 1, for example, may be used by user preference and navigation information system 112 of FIG. 1 to update bid amounts. The method starts at block 300.

At block 302, an initial bid amount for a search listing is received from an advertiser. This typically occurs, for example, when an advertiser first adds a new search listing to his account on the search system. Advertisers populate search listings with, for example, text titles, text descriptions, bids or amounts, and URLs to which the searcher's browser was redirected when a click-through occurred. Some systems allow multiple bids for multiple features, such as a bid for a click-through, a separate bid for an impression, and another separate bid for a post-click action. The features described herein can be readily extended to such systems.

At block 304, the bid amount for the search listing is updated. One embodiment of block 304 is described in more detail in conjunction with FIG. 4.

At block 306, a loop including blocks 306, 308, 310, and 312 is input. At block 306, it is determined whether there is new activity for the topic associated with the search listing. For example, the new activity includes a newly received search query or other new information about the topic associated with the search listing. Whether the new activity is relevant may be based on keywords of the search listing and any appropriate relevance rules. If there is new activity, control returns to block 304 to update the bid amount.

If there is no new activity, control proceeds to block 308 to determine if there is new website information available for the keywords of the search listing. More specifically, determining that the repository of search information has received an indication that a searcher who clicked through a search listing associated with a keyword and navigated to one or more other sites will have an indication that there is new website information available. In this case, control returns to block 304 to update the bid amount.

Otherwise, control proceeds to block 310. At block 310, it is determined whether new frequency information for the keyword is available. If two or more search queries for a keyword have been received within a given time period, new frequency information will be available. In that case, control returns to block 304 to update the bid amount.

Otherwise, a determination is made at block 312 whether new browser interaction information is available. This would be possible if the repository stored information about user-browser interactions related to keywords. If so, control returns to block 304 to update the bid amount. Otherwise, control returns to block 306 to continue processing the loop for further updating of information.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating in detail one embodiment of block 304 of FIG. 3. The method may be implemented as a subroutine that may be called by another routine, such as the method shown in fig. 3. At block 400, a current bid amount is obtained. For example, in the example of FIG. 1, the user preference and navigation information system 112 performs a bid update and begins performing a bid update by retrieving a current bid amount for a current search listing from the information database 108.

At block 402, current bid adjustment information is retrieved. For some advertisers, an increase in the amount of user queries around keywords and phrases that the advertiser has bid on may be translated into an increase in the amount of click-throughs to the advertiser's sponsored links returned on the search results page. Depending on the type of business placed by the advertiser, the advertiser's budget, and the overall impact on brand awareness or sales, some advertisers may want to increase the ranking of their sponsored advertisements on search results pages in response to a surge in the amount of user queries surrounding the keywords and phrases bid on by the advertiser. This would mean a willingness to increase bids on those keywords and phrases, in anticipation, perhaps, that the greater volume of traffic generated as a result of the greater query volume would offset any increase in advertising costs due to higher user clicks on the advertiser's better-ranked sponsored ad links. However, certain other advertisers that have a fixed budget or increased query volume that would not necessarily result in a proportional increase in brand awareness or sales may wish to reduce the bid amount for keywords and phrases in response to a surge in bid-upon keyword or phrase query volume. This will result in worsening the placement of their sponsored ads on the search results page in response to spikes in bid-upon keyword and phrase user queries, which in turn helps to normalize the actual user click-through rate of the advertiser's sponsored ad links.

Thus, at block 404, it is determined whether the advertiser seeks more activity based on the adjustments to be made. If so, at block 404, bids for the search listing are adjusted according to the need for more activity. Otherwise, at block 408, the bid amount is adjusted to produce less activity. At block 410, after the bid amount has been adjusted, the new bid amount is stored in the sponsored search system for subsequent use. At block 412, control returns to the routine calling the method of FIG. 4.

Thus, an upward shift in user preference activity for a given keyword or phrase may be factored into an upward or downward adjustment to an advertiser bid amount. In the same manner, the advertiser may choose to select an up or down bid amount adjustment in response to a downward shift in user query volume or other user preference indicator. The selected bid adjustment response to an upward or downward user query amount may be algorithmically determined so that upward or downward changes in user interest may be appropriately correlated with adjustments to bid amounts in any suitable monetary increments.

The manner in which the query volume or other user preference indicator is considered in the bid-up or bid-down adjustment may be facilitated primarily by the advertiser or third party ranking agent. A user interface may be provided to the advertiser to indicate what basic bid adjustment response (up or down) is required for an up or down change in user preference activity around a bid key word or phrase, and also to indicate the bid adjustment increment required for each such change. The interface may also provide maximum and minimum bid amounts such that once the high or low threshold is reached, the bid amounts will not continue to be dynamically adjusted.

Thus, a computer-based interface for controlling advertiser bid amounts may include data entry points to receive indications from advertisers regarding bid adjustment responses to upward or downward changes in user interest activity. Further, the user interface can include a bid data entry point to receive a bid adjustment increment from an advertiser. For example, the data entry point may be a pop-up menu displayed on the graphical user interface. In another example, the data entry point may be a text box for receiving text information entered into the box by an advertiser. In yet another example, the data entry point may be a hyperlink arranged for advertiser driving. Similarly, maximum and minimum data entry points may be provided for use by advertisers. In order to facilitate advertiser specification of appropriate bid increments for dynamic adjustment, historical data regarding changes in user interaction activity around bidding keywords or phrases may also be provided in the interface.

It is therefore intended that the foregoing detailed description be regarded as illustrative rather than limiting, and that it be understood that it is the following claims, including all equivalents, that are intended to define the spirit and scope of this invention.

Claims (24)

1. A method for an online sponsored search system, the method comprising:

storing a database having a plurality of entries, at least some entries including keywords and dollar amounts associated with respective advertisers of the online sponsored search system;

receiving information about current user preferences within the online sponsored search system; and

automatically adjusting the amount of money for an entry based on the received user preference information when the received user preference information relates to a keyword for the entry.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, in response to the received user query, an entry relevant to the received user search query;

generating a search result list including the related entries; and

the related items are sorted according to the adjusted amounts associated with the related items.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

for a web page pre-designated to receive sponsored advertisements, items related to the subject matter of one or more portions of the web page are identified, an

Determining which items are to be displayed and their ranking on the web page according to the adjusted money amounts associated with the related items.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

aggregating information about relatively current internet user preferences based on user interactions with the online sponsored search system.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving a search query from a user at the online sponsored search system;

identifying topics within the search query and user interests in the topics;

updating information about user preferences based on the identified topics and the identified user interests; and

adjusting amounts of entries in the database based at least in part on the updated user preference information.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving information about websites visited by a user of the online sponsored search system;

identifying topics within the visited website and user interests in the topics;

updating information about current user preferences based on the identified topics and the identified user interests; and

adjusting amounts of entries in the database based at least in part on the updated user preference information.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving information about browser interactions of a user of the online sponsored search system;

identifying a subject and a user's interest in the subject within the browser interaction information;

updating information about current user preferences based on the identified topics and the identified user interests; and

adjusting amounts of entries in the database based at least in part on the updated user preference information.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to receiving information about current user preferences related to keywords of an item, detecting bid adjustment defining information of an information provider for the item;

adjusting an amount of an entry in the database associated with the information provider based on the advertiser's bid adjustment limit information.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

providing a user interface to the information provider for collecting bid adjustment definition information.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

user interface means are provided for receiving a bid adjustment response to set for a specified offset of information about current user preferences.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

a second user interface component is provided for receiving one or more of the maximum bid amount and the minimum bid amount.

12. A sponsored search system comprising:

a sponsored search database configured to store a plurality of entries, at least some of the stored entries being associated with an advertiser and including a keyword and an amount;

a user preference and navigation information system configured to determine information about current user preferences within the online sponsored search system, an

An information web server in data communication with the sponsored search database and the user preference and navigation information system, the information web server including a search engine responsive to a user's search query against the sponsored search database and a bid amount adjustment engine responsive to the information about current user interest, the information web server returning a set of search listings to the user in response to the user query, the set of search listings being ranked based at least in part on the information about current user preferences.

13. The sponsored search system of claim 12 further comprising:

a user database in data communication with the user preference and navigation information system and configured to store user query information from a plurality of user queries to the sponsored search system.

14. The sponsored search system of claim 13 wherein the user preference and navigation information system is configured to access user query information stored in the user database to determine topics of current user interest in the sponsored search system.

15. The sponsored search system of claim 13 wherein the user preference and navigation information system is configured to access user query information stored in the user database to determine current user interests in the sponsored search system based on frequency of user queries on a particular topic.

16. The sponsored search system of claim 13 wherein the user preference and navigation information system is configured to access the user query information stored in the user database to determine websites of current interest that are targeted by users in the sponsored search system.

17. The sponsored search system of claim 13 wherein the user preference and navigation information system is configured to access the user query information stored in the user database to determine browser interaction and navigation patterns of users in the sponsored search system to determine current user interests.

18. The sponsored search system of claim 13 wherein the user preference and navigation information system is configured to aggregate the user query information from multiple user queries to determine information about the current user interests.

19. The sponsored search system of claim 12 further comprising:

a user interface component configured to provide a user interface to an advertiser to collect bid adjustment response information from the advertiser for a specified offset of information about current user interest, the user interface component in communication with the sponsored search database to adjust an amount of a selected stored entry based on the bid adjustment response information.

20. A sponsored search system comprising:

a sponsored search database configured to store a plurality of entries, at least some of the stored entries being associated with an advertiser and including a keyword and an amount;

a user preference and navigation information system configured to determine information about current user preferences within the online sponsored search system, an

An informational web server in data communication with the sponsored search database and the user preference and navigation information system, the informational web server configured to detect a user request for a web page pre-designated to receive sponsored advertisements, the informational web server further configured to detect a topic of a web page and merge the web page with one or more selected items from the sponsored search database having keywords related to the topic and return the web page to the user, the informational web server determining which items are to be displayed and their ranking on the web page based on an amount associated with the selected items and the information about current user preferences.

21. The sponsored search system of claim 20 further comprising:

a user database in data communication with the user preference and navigation information system and configured to store user query information from a plurality of user queries directed to the sponsored search system.

22. A computer-based user interface for controlling advertiser bid amounts in an online sponsored search system, the user interface comprising:

a data entry point to receive a user indication from an advertiser of a bid adjustment response for an upward or downward shift in user interest activity within the online sponsored search system; and

a bid data entry point to receive a bid adjustment increment from the advertiser.

23. The computer-based user interface of claim 22, further comprising:

a keyword data entry point to receive an indication from the advertiser of keywords for which the advertiser is bidding in the online sponsored search system.

24. The computer-based user interface of claim 21, further comprising:

a maximum bid amount entry point for receiving a maximum bid amount from the advertiser; and

a minimum bid amount entry point for receiving a minimum bid amount from the advertiser.