Pay-for-placement search site GoTo.com said that as of June 1999, 10,000
advertisers actively participated in its online marketplace.
Advertisers pay a fee, which they set, only when a GoTo user clicks through
to their site, providing them with tight control of customer acquisition
costs.
GoTo also said that since the launch of its Search Syndication Network (SSN)
in December 1998, the program has attracted more than 80,000 participating
affiliate sites. SSN enables any Web site — no matter what size — to
incorporate GoTo.com’s
search functionality for free into its site. Sites can generate revenue from
the click-throughs they generate.
The company estimates that, in June 1999, more than 10 million unique
visitors
used its search service from its stand-alone site and other sites across its
network.
Advertisers bid in an ongoing auction for priority placement in the keyword
search results with the highest bidder’s site appearing first in the results.
Each advertiser pays GoTo.com the amount of its bid whenever a consumer
clicks on an advertiser’s listing in the search results.
