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April 9, 2007

Today, AOL announces the launch of its AOL Search Marketplace, a property available to choose AOL advertisers that offer sponsored links targeting the AOL search audience.

Utilizing Google AdWords' advertising technology, AOL's new service extends the suite of advertising solutions AOL can offer to search marketers and their partners.

Mike Kelly, president of AOL Media Networks said “overall, AOL's advertising marketers have said they wanted the ability to target their search advertising to users of AOL Search. Today, with AOL Search Marketplace we can offer this service.”

Kelly added “we have found that there's a significant impact when search and display campaigns are coordinated. The addition of the AOL Search Marketplace enables us to offer advertisers an end-to-end solution. Everything from AOL to our industry leading third-party display network, to video advertising and performance ads. This will let marketers better coordinate their advertising, and improve their overall ROI in their campaigns.”

The AOL Search Marketplace utilizes a white-label version of Google AdWords, providing advertisers the ability to acquire search ads that solely targets the AOL audience on the AOL Client applications and AOL.com.

This new service uses the same best-of-breed functionality and reporting features that advertisers have come to expect from Google AdWords. Until now, advertisers didn't have the ability to segment and optimize traffic coming from AOL. Now they do!

AOL's new Search Marketplace is the result of a five-year strategic relationship that AOL and Google entered into two years ago. AOL test marketed AOL Search Marketplace with about thirty advertisers since Nov. 15, 2006.

Google says that the revenue share between the two companies hasn't changed. They also issued this statement:

“As a valued partner, we look forward to working closely with AOL as they roll out the AOL Search Marketplace to more advertisers. We believe this offering will enable AOL to present a more comprehensive advertising opportunity to their customers.”

AOL also announced two other related search products: