.
HINT-ENABLED SEARCH ADVERTISEMENTS
BACKGROUND
[0001] Internet searching has become increasingly common in recent years.
Search providers have taken advantage of the value of Internet searching by selling
advertising space on search results pages to advertisers. Advertisers typically purchase
particular search keywords such that when a user searches with a purchased keyword, the
advertisements for the advertisers' products will display on the search results page.
Search advertisements conventionally include a hyperlink to the advertiser's website and a
text summary or description. Search advertisements, however, often fail to distinguish
themselves from other search advertisements included in a search results page. Search
advertisements also generally do a poor job of attracting user attention with their visual
appearance, because search advertisements conventionally rely on being placed in the first
position in a search results page rather than on being placed according to visual
appearance to best attract user attention. Additionally, a user may be reluctant to click on
a search advertisement if the user has limited time or does not want to open a new window
or navigate away from the search results page.
SUMMARY
[0002] Embodiments of the present invention relate systems, methods, and
computer media for providing advertisement hints as well as keyword search query results
graphical user interfaces. A user interface described herein includes a keyword search
query area capable of receiving a keyword search query from a user. At least one search
result area in the user interface displays an Internet web page link and corresponding text
relevant to a received user keyword search query. At least one search advertisement area
displays an advertisement comprising an Internet web page link and corresponding text.
User interaction with the advertisement area causes an advertisement hint to appear
proximate to the advertisement area. The advertisement hint is related to the
advertisement.
[0003] This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a
simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This
Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed
subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject
matter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] The present invention is described in detail below with reference to the
attached drawing figures, wherein:
[0005] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary computing environment suitable
for use in implementing embodiments of the present invention;
[0006] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a prior art search engine user interface;
[0007] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary search results page user
interface in which an advertisement hint is displayed proximate to an advertisement area
upon user interaction with the advertisement area in accordance with embodiments of the
present invention;
[0008] FIG. 4A illustrates a possible display location of an advertisement hint
proximate to an advertisement area in accordance with embodiments of the present
invention;
[0009] FIG. 4B illustrates another possible display location of an advertisement
hint proximate to an advertisement area in accordance with embodiments of the present
invention;
[0010] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary search results page user
interface in which an advertisement area is expanded downward to incorporate an
advertisement hint upon user interaction with the advertisement area in accordance with
embodiments of the present invention; and
[0011] FIG. 6 is a flow chart of an exemplary method for providing advertisement
hints.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] Embodiments of the present invention are described with specificity herein
to meet statutory requirements. However, the description itself is not intended to limit the
scope of this patent. Rather, the inventors have contemplated that the claimed subject
matter might also be embodied in other ways, to include different steps or combinations of
steps similar to the ones described in this document, in conjunction with other present or
future technologies. Moreover, although the terms "step" and/or "block" or "module" etc.
might be used herein to connote different components of methods or systems employed,
the terms should not be interpreted as implying any particular order among or between
various steps herein disclosed unless and except when the order of individual steps is
explicitly described.
[0013] Embodiments of the present invention relate systems, methods, and
computer media for providing advertisement hints as well as keyword search query results
graphical user interfaces. In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, hintenabled
advertisements are included in a search results page for presentation to a user.
When a user interacts with a hint-enabled advertisement by, for example, hovering over
the advertisement with a mouse cursor, an advertisement hint related to the advertisement
appears near the advertisement.
[0014] As discussed above, search advertisements often fail to distinguish
themselves from other search advertisements included in a search results page. Search
advertisements also typically do a poor job of attracting user attention with their visual
appearance, instead relying on being placed in the first position in a search results page
rather than on their visual appearance to attract user attention. Hint-enabled
advertisements are powerful visual tools that allow additional information such as a
product image, web page preview, logo, or additional text content that will attract a user's
attention to appear near an advertisement when a user interacts with the advertisement.
Additionally, hint-enabled advertisements allow a user to view more information than is
present in a conventional search advertisement without navigating away from the search
results page or opening a new window.
[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, a keyword search query results
user interface is provided. The user interface comprises a keyword search query entry area
capable of receiving a user keyword search query. The user interface also comprises at
least one search result area, each search result area displaying an Internet web page link
and corresponding text relevant to a received user keyword search query. The user
interface further comprises at least one search advertisement area, each search
advertisement area displaying an advertisement comprising an Internet web page link and
corresponding text. User interaction with the advertisement area causes an advertisement
hint to appear proximate to the advertisement area. The advertisement hint is related to
the advertisement.
[0016] In another embodiment, a search query is received from a user. A plurality
of web pages relevant to the search query are identified. An advertisement is identified
that is hint-enabled such that user interaction with the advertisement causes an
advertisement hint to appear proximate to the advertisement. A search results page is then
generated. The search results page includes at least one of the identified web pages
relevant to the user query and the identified hint-enabled advertisement. An indication of
user interaction with the hint-enabled advertisement is received. In response to the
received indication of user interaction, instructions are transmitted to display the
advertisement hint proximate to the advertisement.
[0017] In still another embodiment, a keyword search query results user interface
is provided. The user interface comprises a keyword search query entry area capable of
receiving a user keyword search query. The user interface also comprises at least one
search result area, each search result area displaying an Internet web page link and
corresponding text relevant to a received user keyword search query. The user interface
further comprises at least one search advertisement area, each search advertisement area
displaying an advertisement comprising an Internet web page link and corresponding text.
User interaction with the advertisement area causes the advertisement area to expand,
causes an advertisement hint to appear in the expanded advertisement area, and causes
search advertisement and search result areas below the expanded area to move down to
accommodate the expanded advertisement area. The advertisement hint is related to the
advertisement.
[0018] Having briefly described an overview of some embodiments of the present
invention, an exemplary operating environment in which embodiments of the present
invention may be implemented is described below in order to provide a general context for
various aspects of the present invention. Referring initially to FIG. 1 in particular, an
exemplary operating environment for implementing embodiments of the present invention
is shown and designated generally as computing device 100. Computing device 100 is but
one example of a suitable computing environment and is not intended to suggest any
limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of embodiments of the present invention.
Neither should the computing device 100 be interpreted as having any dependency or
requirement relating to any one or combination of components illustrated.
[0019] Embodiments of the present invention may be described in the general
context of computer code or machine-useable instructions, including computer-executable
instructions such as program modules, being executed by a computer or other machine,
such as a personal data assistant or other handheld device. Generally, program modules
including routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., refer to code that
perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Embodiments of the
present invention may be practiced in a variety of system configurations, including hand
held devices, consumer electronics, general-purpose computers, more specialty computing
devices, etc. Embodiments of the present invention may also be practiced in distributed
computing environments where tasks are performed by remote-processing devices that are
linked through a communications network.
[0020] With reference to FIG. 1, computing device 100 includes a bus 110 that
directly or indirectly couples the following devices: memory 112, one or more processors
114, one or more presentation components 116, input/output ports 118, input/output
components 120, and an illustrative power supply 122. Bus 110 represents what may be
one or more busses (such as an address bus, data bus, or combination thereof). Although
the various blocks of FIG. 1 are shown with lines for the sake of clarity, in reality,
delineating various components is not so clear, and metaphorically, the lines would more
accurately be grey and fuzzy. For example, one may consider a presentation component
such as a display device to be an I/O component. Also, processors have memory. We
recognize that such is the nature of the art, and reiterate that the diagram of FIG. 1 is
merely illustrative of an exemplary computing device that can be used in connection with
one or more embodiments of the present invention. Distinction is not made between such
categories as "workstation," "server," "laptop," "hand-held device," etc., as all are
contemplated within the scope of FIG. 1 and reference to "computing device."
[0021] Computing device 100 typically includes a variety of computer-readable
media. Computer-readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by
computing device 100 and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and
non-removable media. By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable media
may comprise computer storage media. Computer storage media includes both volatile
and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or
technology for storage of information such as computer-readable instructions, data
structures, program modules, or other data. Computer storage media includes, but is not
limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM,
digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic
tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which
can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by computing
device 100.
[0022] Memory 112 includes computer-storage media in the form of volatile
and/or nonvolatile memory. The memory may be removable, nonremovable, or a
combination thereof. Exemplary hardware devices include solid-state memory, hard
drives, optical-disc drives, etc. Computing device 100 includes one or more processors
that read data from various entities such as memory 112 or I/O components 120.
Presentation component(s) 116 present data indications to a user or other device.
Exemplary presentation components include a display device, speaker, printing
component, vibrating component, etc.
[0023] I/O ports 118 allow computing device 100 to be logically coupled to other
devices including I/O components 120, some of which may be built in. Illustrative
components include a microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, printer,
wireless device, etc.
[0024] As discussed previously, embodiments of the present invention relate to
hint-enabled search advertisements. A conventional search results user interface is
discussed with in reference to FIG. 2. Embodiments of the present invention will be
discussed in reference to FIGS. 3-6.
[0025] FIG. 2 illustrates a conventional search result page 200. Search result page
200 is generated after a user enters a search keyword 203 or group of keywords into
keyword search query entry area 202, and a search query is performed. Search result page
200 includes search advertisement area 204. Search advertisement area 204 displays a
search advertisement 209 comprising advertisement 1 hyperlink 206 and corresponding
text summary 208. Search advertisement area 210 displays a search advertisement 215
comprising advertisement 2 hyperlink 212 and corresponding text summary 214. Search
advertisements such as search advertisements 209 and 215 typically do not contain images
or information other than text. Advertisement 1 hyperlink 206 and advertisement 2
hyperlink 212 are links to web pages where more information can be found regarding the
advertised product or service. Text summaries 208 and 214 may describe, among other
things, a promotion, product qualities, awards won, or product advantage over competitive
products.
[0026] Search result area 216 displays a search result 221 comprising result 1
hyperlink 218 and corresponding text summary 220. Search result area 222 displays a
search result 227 comprising result 2 hyperlink 224 and corresponding text summary 226.
Search results 221 and 227 are determined by the search provider to be relevant to
received user keyword 203 and are typically ranked in order of decreasing relevance such
that the search result 221 is more relevant than search result 227. Result 1 hyperlink 218
and result 2 hyperlink 224 link to web pages where the relevant content is found. Text
summaries 220 and 226 are typically a brief summary of the content or a portion of the
content that includes entered keyword 203.
[0027] As discussed above, in a conventional keyword query search results user
interface such as search results page 200, search advertisements 209 and 215 do not
visually attract user attention. Search ads 209 and 215 are listed above search results 221
and 227 but are otherwise unremarkable. FIGS. 3-6 illustrate the use of hint-enabled
search ads that cause an advertisement hint to appear proximate to an advertisement area
in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.
[0028] FIG. 3 illustrates a search result page 300. Search result page 300 includes
search advertisement area 304. Search advertisement area 304 displays a search
advertisement 309 comprising advertisement 1 hyperlink 306 and corresponding text
summary 308. Search advertisement area 310 displays a search advertisement 315
comprising advertisement 2 hyperlink 312 and corresponding text summary 314. Search
result area 316 displays a search result 321 comprising result 1 hyperlink 318 and
corresponding text summary 320. Search result area 322 displays a search result 327
comprising result 2 hyperlink 324 and corresponding text summary 326.
[0029] Search advertisement 309 is a hint-enabled advertisement. In contrast to
conventional search advertisements, such as search ads 209 and 215 in FIG. 2, user
interaction with the advertisement area of a hint-enabled advertisement causes an
advertisement hint to appear proximate to the advertisement area. The advertisement hint
is related to the advertisement. In FIG. 3, a user has interacted with advertisement area
304, causing advertisement hint 330 to appear proximate to advertisement area 304.
Advertisement hint 330 may be anything related to the advertisement, including an image
of a logo, product, web page, or spokesperson associated with the advertisement. For
example, if a car company has placed advertisement 309, advertisement hint 330 can be an
image of the car model being advertised or the logo of the car manufacturer.
[0030] A user may interact with an advertisement area in a number of ways. User
interaction includes but is not limited to: hovering a selection indicator such as a mouse
cursor over the advertisement area; selecting the advertisement area through a mouse click
or touch or stylus input; and rolling over the advertisement area with a mouse cursor,
finger, or stylus. In one embodiment, the user interaction is hovering a selection indicator
over the advertisement area. In such embodiments, a mouse cursor moved to an
advertisement area causes an advertisement hint to appear. In some embodiments, the
system interprets a user continuing to view search results page 300 as user interaction, and
the advertisement hint for each hint-enabled advertisement is displayed one after the other.
For example, a first advertisement hint might be displayed for a first hint-enabled
advertisement for 5 seconds and then disappear. A second advertisement hint might then
be displayed for a second hint-enabled advertisement for 5 seconds and then disappear,
etc.
[0031] Advertisement hint 330 may also include action links that, when interacted
with by a user, perform an action or navigate a user to a website or web page associated
with the advertisement. In one embodiment, interaction with the action links is
accomplished through selection of the action links using a mouse cursor click or touch or
stylus input. The action links can take the form of buttons or icons. An action link may,
for example, navigate a user to a web page associated with the advertiser to buy, determine
remaining inventory for, or obtain a quote for an advertised product. An action link could
also identify local retailers or dealers for the advertised product. In some embodiments,
the action link opens a small window or displays additional information in a pop-up
window such that the user is not navigated away from search results page 300.
[0032] Advertisement hint 330 may also include additional text content that was
not included in text summary 308 of advertisement 309. For example, a particular
promotion may be too detailed to adequately express in the small amount of space
provided by text summary 308, and additional details can be provided in advertisement
hint 330. The additional text content can also be text designed to attract a user's attention
such as "SALE!", "YEAR-END EVENT!", or other text content.
[0033] Advertisement area 304 is the portion of search results page 300 occupied
by advertisement 309. In conventional search ads, the advertisement area is not outlined
or otherwise demarcated. In one embodiment, advertisement area 304 is outlined or
otherwise emphasized as shown in FIG. 3 upon user interaction with advertisement area
304. The emphasis distinguishes advertisement 309 from advertisement 315 and indicates
that advertisement hint 330 is associated with advertisement 309. Other forms of
emphasis of search advertisement area 304 include highlighting, graying, bolding,
italicizing, or displaying an icon or symbol. In one embodiment, advertisement area 304
may shift slightly, for example up and right, upon user interaction to indicate that
advertisement 309 displayed in advertisement area 304 is associated with advertisement
hint 330 that appeared as a result of the user interaction.
[0034] In some embodiments advertisement area 304 includes a hint indicator that
alerts a user that interaction with advertisement area 304 will display advertisement hint
330. In this way, a user can quickly identify which ads have hints available and can
interact with those ads. This is especially useful in situations where not all search ads are
hint-enabled. For example, a symbol may be included in advertisement area 304 to alert a
user that advertisement 309 is hint-enabled. In some embodiments, the advertisement
areas of hint-enabled advertisements are outlined, highlighted, edge-highlighted, or
otherwise emphasized to indicate that the advertisement is hint-enabled.
[0035] In some embodiments, advertisement hint 330 is only displayed while the
user interaction is ongoing. For example, if user interaction is accomplished using a
mouse cursor hover, advertisement hint 330 persists while the mouse cursor is hovering
over advertisement area 304 but disappears when the mouse cursor is moved away from
advertisement area 304. In other embodiments, advertisement hint 330 persists until a
second action is taken, such as hovering over another advertisement area or search result
area or user-initiated deselection or selection of another advertisement area or search result
area. Advertisement hint 330 can be any size. In one embodiment, advertisement hint 330
is large enough to accommodate an image sufficient to convey useful information but
small enough so as to not interfere with other information displayed on search results page
300.
[0036] FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate exemplary locations in which advertisement
hint 330 of FIG. 3 appears relative to advertisement area 304. In FIG. 4A, advertisement
hint 330 overlaps the right-hand corner of advertisement area 304. In FIG. 4B,
advertisement hint 330 is located below advertisement area 304. Advertisement hint 330
can be located anywhere proximate to advertisement area 304 and can overlap, border, or
be located next to advertisement area 304. In some embodiments, if advertisement hint
330 is located below, above, or in any other position relative to advertisement area 304
that would obscure or interfere with other advertisements, search result, or other content
on search results page 300, then the other content is moved accordingly. For example, in
FIG. 4B, user interaction with advertisement area 304 causes advertisement hint 330 to
appear below advertisement area 304. Advertisement hint 330 would then partially
obscure advertisement 315. To avoid such interference with advertisement 315,
advertisement area 310 that displays advertisement 315, along with search result areas 316
and 322 and any other content below advertisement area 304, is moved down to
accommodate the appearance of advertisement hint 330.
[0037] FIG. 5 illustrates embodiments in which an advertisement hint is
incorporated into the advertisement area displaying an advertisement rather than the
advertisement hint being a separate item. Search results page 500 includes search
advertisement area 504. Search advertisement area 504 displays a search advertisement
509 comprising advertisement 1 hyperlink 506 and corresponding text summary 508.
Search advertisement area 510 displays a search advertisement 515 comprising
advertisement 2 hyperlink 512 and corresponding text summary 514. Search result area
516 displays a search result 521 comprising result 1 hyperlink 518 and corresponding text
summary 520. Search result area 522 displays a search result 527 comprising result 2
hyperlink 524 and corresponding text summary 526.
[0038] In FIG. 5, a user has interacted with advertisement area 504. The
interaction with advertisement area 504 caused advertisement area 504 to expand, caused
advertisement hint 530 to appear in the expanded advertisement area, and caused
advertisement area 510 and search result areas 516 and 522 to move down to
accommodate the expanded advertisement area. The user interaction in FIG. 5 has also
caused advertisement area 504 to be outlined to indicate that advertisement hint 530 is
associated with advertisement area 504. In one embodiment, advertisement hint 530 is
additional text content that was not included in advertisement 509. In such an
embodiment, advertisement hint 530 may be a continuation of text summary 508 such that
it appears to a user that text summary 508 of advertisement 509 has simply expanded. As
discussed with regard to FIG. 3, advertisement hint 530 may be anything related to the
advertisement, including an image of a logo, product, web page, or spokesperson
associated with the advertisement. Advertisement hint 530 may also include action links
that, when interacted with by a user, perform an action or navigate a user to a website or
web page associated with the advertisement. Although advertisement area 504 is shown
expanding downward in FIG. 5, advertisement area 504 may expand in any direction such
that advertisement hint 530 may be located in any position in the expanded advertisement
area.
[0039] FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary method 600 for providing advertisement
hints. In step 602, a user search query is received. In step 604, a plurality of web pages
relevant to the search query are identified. In step 606, an advertisement that is hintenabled
such that user interaction with the advertisement causes an advertisement hint to
appear proximate to the advertisement is identified. A search results page is generated in
step 608, the search results page including at least one of the identified web pages relevant
to the user query and the identified hint-enabled advertisement. In step 610, an indication
of user interaction with the hint-enabled advertisement is received. In response to the
received indication of user interaction, instructions are transmitted in step 612 to display
the advertisement hint proximate to the advertisement.
[0040] In some embodiments, all advertisements displayed on a search results page
for a search provider are hint-enabled. In such embodiments, advertisers may specify
advertisement hints they would like displayed, or the search provider may automatically
generate an advertisement hint at the time the ad is created that is, for example, the
advertiser's logo or most well-known product. In other embodiments, the advertisement
hint that is displayed is dynamically generated in response to the user interaction. In still
other embodiments, when an advertiser creates a search advertisement, the advertiser
selects whether the search ad is hint-enabled and may also specify the advertisement hint
or hints that will be displayed upon user interaction. In some embodiments, action links
included in the advertisement hint are automatically generated by the search provider or
other third party rather than created by an advertiser.
[0041] Advertisers typically purchase search advertisements based on a userentered
keyword. For example, a first advertiser may purchase the rights to have search
ads displayed on a search results page generated when a user searches for the word "car."
In some embodiments, an advertiser may purchase multiple keywords for the same
advertisement. The advertiser may specify different advertisement hints based on which
of the multiple keywords a user entered. Thus, the first advertiser may create a single
search ad and purchase the keywords "car" and "automobile." The first advertiser may
decide, for example, that older users are more likely to search for "automobile" and
younger users are more likely to search for "car" and create a different advertisement hint
for each of these keywords that is more appropriate for the likely user.
[0042] Pricing models and priority determinations for advertisements may be
adjusted to incorporate hint-enabled search ads. The pricing models and priority
determinations for voice-enabled advertisements can be modified for hint-enabled
advertisements.
[0043] Typically, bids are made on a cost-per-impression (CPI) or cost-per-click
(CPC) basis. An advertiser bids a monetary amount it is willing to pay each time an
advertisement is displayed or each time a user selects or clicks on a displayed
advertisement. Advertising system providers may rank advertisements by a CPI bid
and/or a CPC bid to determine which advertisements should be selected for a given
request for advertisements and/or which advertisement should be displayed as a primary
advertisement. For instance, Airline A may bid $1.00 for each user that accesses its
information as a result of its advertisement being selected and presented while Airline B
may bid $1.75 for each user that accesses its information upon its advertisement being
selected and presented.
[0044] In this example, Airline B would "win" the bid and, accordingly, its
advertisement may be selected to be presented. Further, Airline B's advertisement may be
selected to be displayed as the primary advertisement and be placed in a prominent
position. For instance, in the context of search, Airline B's advertisement may be placed
a location at the top and center of the search results page or at the top of a list of
advertisements. Advertisements with higher CPC bids may be placed in more prominent
positions since a more prominent advertisement, or primary advertisement, has a higher
likelihood of being selected by a user, thus, increasing the amount of revenue generated
from CPC bids.
[0045] Alternatively, an advertisement delivery system may rank the
advertisements according to a monetization value associated with the advertisements.
Monetization values for search advertisements may be calculated based on both a CPC bid
and a click-through rate (CTR) associated with the advertisement. CTR's are the rate at
which users have clicked on a particular advertisement when presented. The product of
the CPC bid and the CTR (CPC bid x CTR) is the monetization value and the highest
product, i.e., the highest monetization value, may be ranked higher than other
advertisements and, in turn, may be more likely to be selected for presentation. For
instance, if Airline B's advertisement has a CTR of 5% then the monetization value of the
advertisement may be calculated to be 0.0875 (1.75 * 0.05). If Airline A's advertisement
has a CTR of 10% then the monetization value of the advertisement may be calculated to
be 0.10 (1.00 * 0.10). In this case, Airline A's advertisement will "win" and be displayed
in a more prominent position than Airline B's advertisement.
[0046] In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, hint-enabled text
advertisements may be selected for presentation based on a variety of bid values and/or
historical information. Advertisers may still submit a CPC bid, and a CTR may still be
associated with each hint-enabled search advertisement. In addition to traditional bid
options such as bidding on clicks, user performance, or the like, advertisers may have an
option to bid for an advertisement hint. A cost-per-hint (CPH) bid may be included in a
calculation of a monetization value for a hint-enabled search advertisement.
[0047] A variety of formulas may be used within various embodiments of the
invention to calculate the monetization value of hint-enabled search ads. The formulas
may incorporate a variety of different monetization factors to rank advertisements and, in
turn, select search advertisements and hint-enabled search advertisements for presentation.
[0048] In a specific embodiment, a monetization value may be calculated using,
for instance, the following equation:
[0049] MV(h) = CPH/1000 + CPC(h) * CTR(h)
[0050] Wherein MV(h) represents the monetization value of a hint-enabled search
advertisement, CPH/1000 is the cost-per-hint that the advertiser has bid for advertisement
hints per every one thousand impressions of the hint-enabled advertisement, CPC(h) is the
hint-cost-per-click bid submitted by the advertiser for the hint-enabled search
advertisement, and CTR(h) is the hint-click-through-rate for the hint-enabled search
advertisement. The CPC(h) may be based on clicks while the hint is displayed, while the
hint is not activated, once the hint as disappeared, or the like.
[0051] In another specific embodiment, a price estimation may be performed for
an advertiser using, for instance, the following equation:
[0052] Monthly $ = I * CPI/1000 + H * CPH/1000 + C * CPC
[0053] Wherein Monthly $ represents an estimated monthly amount owed by the
advertiser, I is a number of impressions, CPI/1000 is a cost-per- impression bid per every
1000 times the advertisement is displayed, H is a number of times a hint is displayed, CPH
is a cost-per-hint bid submitted by the advertiser, C is a number of clicks, and CPC is a
cost-per-click bid submitted by the advertiser. In the above exemplary equation, the CPI
and CPH bids are the cost-per-impression bid and/or cost-per-hint bid per 1000 times the
advertisement has been displayed or the hint has been presented or will be presented.
Alternatively, the CPI and/or CPH could be for N number of times the advertisement is
displayed and/or the advertisement hint is presented, wherein N is any number.
[0054] Embodiments of the present invention have been discussed with regard to
hint-enabled search ads. Hint-enabled display ads, which are typically displayed on a web
page when the user navigates to the page, are also contemplated. Hint-enabled display ads
may be text-based ads or rich media ads. The user interfaces described herein may be
implemented on tablet computing devices, smart phones, PDAs, or other wireless devices.
[0055] The present invention has been described in relation to particular
embodiments, which are intended in all respects to be illustrative rather than restrictive.
Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art to
which the present invention pertains without departing from its scope.
[0056] From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to
attain all the ends and objects set forth above, together with other advantages which are
obvious and inherent to the system and method. It will be understood that certain features
and sub-combinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other
features and sub-combinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the
claims.
CLAIMS
What is claimed is:
1. One or more computer storage media storing computer-executable
instructions for a keyword search query results graphical user interface, the user interface
comprising:
a keyword search query entry area capable of receiving a user keyword
search query;
at least one search result area, each search result area displaying an Internet
web page link and corresponding text relevant to a received user keyword search
query; and
at least one search advertisement area, each search advertisement area
displaying an advertisement comprising an Internet web page link and
corresponding text,
wherein user interaction with the advertisement area causes an
advertisement hint to appear proximate to the advertisement area, and
wherein the advertisement hint is related to the advertisement.
2. The media of claim 1, wherein the advertisement hint is an image of a logo,
product, web page, or spokesperson associated with the advertisement.
3. The media of claim 1, wherein the advertisement hint includes at least one
of: action links that, when selected by a user, perform an action or navigate a user to a
website associated with the advertisement; and additional text content that was not
included in the advertisement.
4. The media of claim 1, wherein the user interaction is hovering a selection
indicator over the advertisement area.
5. The media of claim 1, wherein the advertisement area is emphasized upon
user interaction with the advertisement area such that a user can easily identify the
advertisement to which the advertisement hint corresponds.
6. The media of claim 1, wherein each search advertisement area containing
an advertisement for which user interaction causes an advertisement hint to appear is
indicated as hint-enabled prior to the user interaction.
7. The media of claim 1, wherein the advertisement hint is at least one of:
displayed proximate to the right side of the advertisement area; overlapping the
advertisement area; and displayed beneath the advertisement area, and wherein other
search advertisement areas beneath the search advertisement area for which the
advertisement hint is displayed are moved down to accommodate the advertisement hint.
8. One or more computer storage media storing computer-executable
instructions for performing a method for providing advertisement hints, the method
comprising:
receiving a search query from a user;
identifying a plurality of web pages relevant to the search query;
identifying an advertisement that is hint-enabled such that user interaction
with the advertisement causes an advertisement hint to appear proximate to the
advertisement;
generating a search results page including at least one of the identified web
pages relevant to the user query and the identified hint-enabled advertisement;
receiving an indication of user interaction with the hint-enabled
advertisement; and
in response to the received indication of user interaction, transmitting
instructions to display the advertisement hint proximate to the advertisement.
9. The media of claim 8, wherein the advertisement hint includes at least one
of: an image of a logo, product, web page, or spokesperson associated with the
advertisement; action links that, when selected by a user, perform an action or navigate a
user to a website associated with the advertisement; and additional text content that was
not included in the advertisement
10. The media of claim 8, wherein the advertisement hint that is displayed is
dynamically generated in response to receiving the indication of user interaction.
11. The media of claim 8, wherein the advertisement was specified as hintenabled
at the time the advertisement was created.
12. The media of claim 11, wherein the advertisement hint that is displayed
was specified at the time the advertisement was created.
13. The media of claim 11, wherein the advertisement has a plurality of
associated advertisement hints, and wherein the advertisement hint displayed in response
to the received indication of user interaction depends upon the received user keyword
search query.
14. One or more computer storage media storing computer-executable
instructions for a keyword search query results graphical user interface, the user interface
comprising:
a keyword search query entry area capable of receiving a user keyword
search query;
at least one search result area, each search result area displaying an Internet
web page link and corresponding text relevant to a received user keyword search
query; and
at least one search advertisement area, each search advertisement area
displaying an advertisement comprising an Internet web page link and
corresponding text,
wherein user interaction with the advertisement area causes the
advertisement area to expand, causes an advertisement hint to appear in the
expanded advertisement area, and causes search advertisement and search
result areas below the expanded area to move down to accommodate the
expanded advertisement area, and
wherein the advertisement hint is related to the advertisement.
15. The media of claim 14, wherein the advertisement hint includes at least one
of: an image of a logo, product, web page, or spokesperson associated with the
advertisement; action links that, when selected by a user, perform an action or navigate a
user to a website associated with the advertisement; and additional text content that was
not included in the advertisement.