Sergiy Volotskiy

US Patent:

20020099605, Jul 25, 2002

Filed:

Oct 1, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/969390

Inventors:

Aaron Weitzman - Huntington Woods MI, US
David Weinberg - Birmingham MI, US
Sergiy Volotskiy - Troy MI, US

Assignee:

SearchCactus, LLC - Troy MI

International Classification:

G06F017/60

US Classification:

705/014000

Abstract:

A system and method for electronic advertising using a search engine include providing an incentive to users of the search engine to become members, collecting demographic information from users while registering to become a member, and associating the demographic information with an advertisement when a user responds to the advertisement. The method may also include providing advertisers with statistical information relative to user demographics for users who responded to a particular advertisement. In one embodiment, the member demographics may be used by advertisers to target particular advertising campaigns to members based on member demographic information. Likewise, demographic information entered by advertisers may be used by the administrator or other advertisers to target advertising information to those advertisers using the search engine. An advertiser determines a target audience based on selected demographic information and is charged based on the number of selected members which meet the advertisers demographic selection criteria. If the advertisement includes a link to the advertiser, the search engine tracks the response or click-through rate. Banner ads or text areas on the search engine website may also be presented based on search terms entered by a user or member with click-through rates determined by the search engine.