Ask Jeeves shows Google AdWords ads

Weird?

[androidtech]

I just did an AskJeeves search and saw one of our Google AdWords ads pop up in the sponsored listings!

Isn't this a little strange? One major search engine using another search engine's PPC ads? I know the little ones do it all the time, but that's because they are usually affiliates of a PPC meta-feed.

Just a curiousity.

Thanks.

[Sanenet]

Ask don't have their own PPC engine, they just use adsense. Makes sense - why go to all the problems of building, testing, maintaining, customer support, etc, when you can just outsource?

[Shak]

ASKjeeves is 1 of Google's biggest partners, as are AOL etc.

Shak

[sem4u]

Strange? Not at all! Ask Jeeves earn a good amount of revenue from displaying AdWords on their site. It means that Ask Jeeves don't have to bother setting up their own PPC scheme.

Also, Overture (who own Yahoo!) provides both PPC and organic listings to their rival MSN. However, MSN's organic listings will be provided by themselves in the not too distant future.

[Warren]

And that has been a great deal for both for AJ and Google.

For AJ, they get the lineball share of the revenue without having to worry about any customer service costs.

For Google, they earn revenue without any costs assocaited with generating that traffic.

Just prior to the Google IPO, this deal was extended for a number of years.