Paid Search Engine Bid Management

Abstract

A method and apparatus (information processing system) for overcoming deficiencies and inefficiencies in the current paid search engine keyword bidding market, by providing keyword bidders with information they need to better optimize their use of paid search engines. The system accumulates bid amounts for a plurality of target keywords at one or more paid Internet search engines, and presents the bid amounts to a user, enabling the user to evaluate and optimize bids on those keywords. The system also presents bid amounts for a keyword at one or more paid Internet search engines, in a manner highlighting one or more selected bid amounts of interest to a potential bidder. This permits a bidder to identify the bidder's own bid, and/or to identify a differential in bid amounts that indicates an opportunity for bid optimization. The system further monitors keyword bids at one or more paid Internet search engines to identify bid changes of interest to a potential bidder.

1 . A method of managing a first advertiser's offer for a keyword made to a search engine, said offer identifying a monetary amount the first advertiser will pay upon a use of a hyperlink associated with the first advertiser when located using the keyword, comprising
 receiving an authorization from the first advertiser,   after receipt of said authorization, using the monetary amount a second advertiser is willing to pay upon a use of a hyperlink associated with the second advertiser when located using the keyword to identify a reduced amount the first advertiser will pay for use of a hyperlink associated with the first advertiser when located using the keyword, and   offering said reduced amount for use of a hyperlink associated with the first advertiser on behalf of said first advertiser based upon the previously received authorization and the monetary amount the second advertiser is willing to pay without further intervention of said first advertiser.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the reduced amount creates a differential in the monetary amounts of offers meeting certain criteria. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein said criteria identify differentials in the monetary amounts of the first advertiser and second advertiser that are characteristic of optimization opportunities. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the criteria identify differentials between the monetary amounts larger than a minimum currency amount. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the criteria identify differentials between the monetary amounts of the reduced amount offered by the first advertiser and offers of other parties. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the reduced amount is sufficient to maintain a rank position. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the reduced amount reduces a gap between the first advertiser's offered monetary amount and a lower offer. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the reduced amount is identified as a result of an increase or decrease in the use of a keyword by searchers of the search engine. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the reduced amount is identified as a result of a change in an offer of another party. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the reduced amount is generated in response to offered monetary amounts and other data. 
     
     
         11 . A method that manages pay-per-click search advertising, by determining an amount an advertiser will be charged upon a click of a hyperlink associated with the advertiser, wherein two or more advertisers have offered to pay a monetary amount upon the use of a hyperlink associated with the advertiser when that hyperlink is located with the keyword and presented with a hyperlink associated with another advertiser, comprising
 accessing with a computer processor, particular amounts that the first and second advertisers are willing to pay for a click of a hyperlink, when the hyperlink is located using the keyword, a first particular amount being associated with the first advertiser, and a second particular amount being associated with the second advertiser,   accessing with a computer processor, rankings of the first and second advertisers, and   without intervention by the first advertiser, with a computer processor, determining an amount, other than the particular amount, to be charged to the first advertiser for a click of a hyperlink associated with the first advertiser, based upon at least the second particular amount,   wherein the amount to be charged to the first advertiser is selected to preserve the ranking of the first advertiser relative to the second advertiser.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the first and second advertisers are adjacently ranked. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the first advertiser is ranked higher than the second advertiser. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the amount to be charged to the first advertiser is determined based upon a minimum currency amount and the second particular amount. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11  further comprising accessing with a computer processor, statistic information related to the keyword, the first advertiser and/or the second advertiser.