System and method for influencing a position on a search result list generated by a computer network search engine

Abstract

A system and method for enabling information providers using a computer network to influence a position for a search listing within a search result list. A database stores accounts for the network information providers. Each account contains contact and billing information. In addition, each account contains at least one search listing having at least three components: a description, a search term comprising one or more keywords, and a bid amount. The network information provider may add, delete, or modify a search listing after logging into his or her account via an authentication process. The network information provider influences a position for a search listing in the provider's account by first selecting a relevant search term and entering that search term and the description into a search listing. A continuous online competitive bidding process occurs when the network information provider enters a new bid amount for a search listing. This bid amount is compared with all other bid amounts for the same search term. A rank value is generated for all search listings having that search term. The generated rank value determines where the network information provider's listing will appear on the search results list page that is generated in response to a query of the search term by a searcher at a client computer on the computer network. A higher bid by a network information provider will result in a higher rank value and a more advantageous placement.

1 . A method of operating a pay for performance web site, the method comprising: 
 maintaining a database searchable by a search engine, the database including a plurality of search listings, each search listing being associated with an Internet web site, a search term and a bid amount, the bid amount being related to a money amount chargeable to an account of a web site promoter associated with the search listing each time the web site is referred by the search engine;    receiving a search request from a searcher;    identifying search listings generating a match with the search request;    displaying at least some of the identified search listings to the searcher, the search listings being ordered using the values of respective bid amounts for the identified search listings; and    recording a referral event including account identification information, for debiting the account of a web site promoter associated with a search listing by the money amount corresponding to the search listing when the web site associated with the search listing is referred.    
     
     
         2 . A method of operating a search engine on a computer network to generate a search result list in response to a client submitting a search query, comprising: 
 storing a plurality of search listings, where each search listing is associated with a bid amount, a network location, and a network information provider;    receiving from a remote web server a search query received by the remote web server from a client;    identifying at least some search listings generating a match with the search query;    providing at least some of the identified search listings to the remote web server for display to the client, where the displayed search listings are ordered as a function of the bid amounts of the respective identified search listings;    receiving a request made by the client to retrieve information associated with a selected search listing displayed to the client;    charging to an account of the network information provider associated with the selected search listing an amount related to the bid amount associated with the selected search listing; and    providing a network information provider with authenticated online access to the stored search listings of the network information provider to modify at least one of a bid amount, a network location and text associated with a search listing.    
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the retrieval request is generated by the client clicking on a hyperlink associated with the selected search listing, and the bid amount is a money amount charged for each such click-through.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the displayed search listings which generate a charge to the network information provider are identified in the display as paid listings.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the displayed search listings which generate a charge to the network information provider include in the display an identification of their respective bid amounts.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein at the request of a network information provider provided with online access, an activity report is generated automatically for at least one search listing for a specified time period, including information on at least one of the number of retrieval requests received from clients, the number of occurrences of a client submitting a matching search query, the number of impressions, and the click through rate.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising: 
 automatically estimating the cost of including a search listing with the stored search listings for a specified time period upon receiving a request for an estimate from a network information provider.    
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein each stored search listing further has associated with it at least one search term; a match is determined by a search term of a search listing generating a match with the search query; and a network information provider with online access is permitted to modify a search term associated with a search listing of the network information provider.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising: 
 providing a network information provider with suggested alternative search terms for a search listing.    
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the suggested alternative search terms comprise search terms associated with other stored search listings.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein a match is based at least in part on a search term of a search listing being a synonym of the search query.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein a match is based at least in part on a location associated with a network information provider.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the location is one of a country, a city, a zip code, and a telephone area code.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein a match is based at least in part on the language of the text associated with a search listing.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the search listings are ordered by decreasing bid amount.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein search listings that have the same bid amount are ordered from earliest to most recent time of creation.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the modification of a search listing by a network information provider is performed substantially in real time.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein a network information provider with online access is permitted to change the manner by which a search term associated with the network information provider's search listing is matched with the search query.  
     
     
         19 . A method of generating a search result list in response to a user submitting a search request to a search engine operating over a computer network, comprising: 
 maintaining a database including a plurality of listings, wherein each listing is associated with at least one search term, a money amount and a network information provider;    receiving a search request entered by a user;    identifying at least some listings having a search term generating a match with the search request received from the user;    displaying to the user a search result list including at least some of the identified listings; and    upon receiving a retrieval request from the user to retrieve information associated with a listing selected from the result list, charging to an account of a network information provider associated with the selected listing the money amount associated with the listing;    wherein a network information provider is provided with online authenticated login access permitting the network information provider to modify a search term associated with a listing of the network information provider, and    the network information provider is provided with suggested alternative search terms for a listing.    
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the suggested alternative search terms comprise search terms associated with other listings from the database.