Automated web ranking bid management account system

• US 7,295,996 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2002
• Issued: 11/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Christopher J. Skinner
• Original Assignee: Christopher J. Skinner
• Inventors: Skinner, Christopher J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Florian, Zeender Ryan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Frenel, Vanel
• Application Number:
  US10/307,314
• Publication Number:
  US 20030105677A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,807 Days
• Field of Search: 705 26- 27, 705/37, 707/3, 707/5, 707/9
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0611 Request for offers or quotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access

Abstract

The present invention relates to an automated web ranking system which enables advertisers to dynamically adjust pay-per-click bids to control advertising costs. The system tracks search terms which are used to market an advertiser'"'"'s product or services in on line marketing media (“OMM”). The system determines the search term'"'"'s effectiveness by collecting and analyzing data relating to the number of impressions, the number of clicks, and the number of resulting sales generated by a search term at a given time period. Based on the data collected and parameters which the advertiser provides relating to the advertiser'"'"'s economic factors, the system calculates a maximum acceptable bid for each search term. The system monitors the web for competitor'"'"'s bids on an advertiser'"'"'s search term and places bids which fall below the maximum acceptable bid.

Claims

1. An automated method for web ranking of bids and bid management in order to cover advertising costs, comprising the steps of:

tracking Internet user activity generated to an OMM and an advertiser'"'"'s website when an Internet user conducting a web-based search on the OMM enters at least one search term relating to a service or product of the advertiser;

acquiring data relating to the Internet user activity, said data including at least the number of resulting sales generated by said at least one search term at a given time period;

sorting said data to remove duplicate information;

compiling a master data set from said data wherein data values are arranged according to time periods of Internet user activity and a designated primary key, said master data set further including at least the number of resulting sales at various time periods;

determining sufficiency of data based on specified conditions, said specified conditions including at least the time period of any sale of a service or product and the amount of such sale;

calculating an acceptable new maximum bid for said search term, said new maximum bid including at least the factors of amount of sales and costs to advertise;

determining whether said maximum bid is a justified expense for the advertiser in light of profit determining factors, wherein said profit determining factors comprise an expected return on advertising spent (ROAS) value, a minimum acceptable return on advertising spent (ROAS) value, a maximum return on advertising spent (ROAS) value, a computational linguistics value of the search term, and the new maximum acceptable bid value;

determining whether to maintain, modify, or remove a bid for a search term;

retrieving information on competitor'"'"'s bids;

identifying desired ranking;

preparing an insertion order with an appropriate bid for achieving the desired ranking, said insertion order including at least the determination that the bid is a predetermined minimal value above the highest competitor bid which falls below the new maximum acceptable bid value; and

automatically uploading the insertion order to OMM.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein Internet user activity generated to an OMM and an advertiser'"'"'s website is tracked by the OMM, the advertiser'"'"'s website, and a tracking engine.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said tracking engine tracks the Internet user'"'"'s activity by assigning a tracking URL having a keycode embedded therein that identifies the OMM and a search term which was used by the Internet user to access the advertiser'"'"'s listing.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said primary key comprises the keycode used in the tracking URL.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of acquiring data relating to Internet user activity includes sending GET requests at specified time intervals to the OMM, the tracking engine, and the advertiser'"'"'s web site.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining a database of a plurality of search terms relating to the advertiser'"'"'s service or product.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the data set contains a designated threshold value of visits and actions taken by the user on the advertiser'"'"'s website for fulfilling said specified conditions for data sufficiency.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of identifying desired ranking includes identifying the highest competitor bid which falls below the new maximum acceptable bid value.

9. An automated web ranking system of bids and bid management in order to cover advertising costs, said system comprising:

at least one server computer having a microprocessor, an area of main memory for executing program code under the direction of the microprocessor, a storage device for storing data and program code, and a bus connecting the microprocessor, main memory, and the storage device;

a data communications device connected to said bus for connecting said server computer to a network;

a computer program code for automated web ranking, the code being stored in said storage device and executing in said main memory under the direction of said microprocessor, the computer program including;

means for tracking Internet user activity generated to an OMM and an advertiser'"'"'s website when an Internet user conducting a web-based search on the OMM enters at least one search term relating to a service or product of the advertiser;

means for acquiring data relating to the Internet user activity,said user activity including at least the number of resulting sales generated by said at least one search term at a given time period;

means for sorting said data to remove duplicate information;

means for compiling a master data set from said data wherein data values are arranged according to time periods of Internet user activity and a designated primary key, said master data set including at least the number of resulting sales at various time periods;

means for determining sufficiency of data based on specified conditions said specified conditions including at least the time period of any sale of a service or product and the amount of such sale;

means for calculating an acceptable new maximum bid for said search terms, said new maximum bid including at least the factors of amount of sales and costs to advertise;

means for determining whether said maximum bid is a justified expense for the advertiser in light of profit determining factors, wherein said profit determining factors comprise an expected return on advertising spent (ROAS) value, a minimum acceptable return on advertising spent (ROAS) value, a maximum return on advertising spent (ROAS) value, a computational linguistics value of the search term, and the new maximum acceptable bid value;

means for determining whether to maintain, modify, or remove a bid for a search term;

means for retrieving information on competitor'"'"'s bids;

means for identifying desired ranking;

means for preparing an insertion order with an appropriate bid for achieving the desired ranking, said insertion order including at least the determination that the bid is a predetermined minimal value above the highest competitor bid which falls below the new maximum acceptable bid value; and

means for automatically uploading the insertion order to OMM.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein Internet user activity generated to an OMM and an advertiser'"'"'s website is tracked by the OMM, the advertiser'"'"'s website, and a tracking engine.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said tracking engine tracks the Internet user'"'"'s activity by assigning a tracking URL having a keycode embedded therein that identifies the OMM and search term which was used by the Internet user to access the advertiser'"'"'s listing.

12. The system of claim 9, further comprising means for sending GET requests at specified time intervals to the OMM, the tracking engine, and the advertiser'"'"'s web site.

13. The system of claim 9, further comprising means for identifying the highest competitor bid which falls below the new maximum acceptable bid value.

14. A computer program product that includes a medium readable by a processor, the medium having stored thereon a set of instructions for automated web ranking of bids and bid management of at least one search term in order to cover advertising costs, comprising:

a first sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to acquire data relating to the Internet user activity, said data including at least the number of resulting sales generated by at least one search term at a given time period;

a second sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to sort said data to remove duplicate information;

a third sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to compile a master data set from said data wherein data values are arranged according to time periods of Internet user activity and a designated primary key, said master data set further including at least the number of resulting sales at various time periods;

a fourth sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to determine sufficiency of data based on specified conditions, said specified conditions including at least the time period of any sale of a service or product and the amount of such sale;

a fifth sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to calculate an acceptable new maximum bid for said search term, said new maximum bid including at least the factors of amount of sales and costs to advertise;

a sixth sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to determine whether said maximum bid is a justified expense for the advertiser in light of profit determining factors, wherein said profit determining factors comprise an expected return on advertising spent (ROAS) value, a minimum acceptable return on advertising spent (ROAS) value, a maximum return on advertising spent (ROAS) value, a computational linguistics value of the search term, and the new maximum acceptable bid value;

a seventh sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to determine whether to maintain, modify, or remove a bid for a search term;

an eighth sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to retrieve information on competitor'"'"'s bids;

a ninth sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to identify desired ranking;

a tenth sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to prepare an insertion order with an appropriate bid for achieving the desired ranking, said insertion order including at least the determination that the bid is a predetermined minimal value above the highest competitor bid which falls below the new maximum acceptable bid value; and

an eleventh sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to automatically upload the insertion order to OMM.