Sponsored search auction

Auctioning of sponsored search engine results

A sponsored search auction (SSA), also known as a keyword auction, is an indispensable part of the business model of modern web hosts. It refers to results from a search engine that are not output by the main search algorithm, but rather clearly separate advertisements paid for by third parties. These advertisements are typically related to the terms for which the user searched. They come in the form of a link and some information, with the hope that a search user will click on the link and buy something from the advertiser. In sponsored search auctions, there are typically some fixed number of slots for advertisements and more advertisers that want these slots than there are slots. The advertisers have different valuations for these slots and slots are a scarce resource, so an auction is done to determine how the slots will be assigned.

This keyword could refer to multiple things. Here are some suggestions: