ValueClick Rebrands, Expands Search

ValueClick today re-branded and expanded its paid search offerings. The company created a ValueClick Search brand to encompass the Search123 advertiser network and the new Simpli publisher platform.

The company announced the changes at the Search Engine Strategies conference taking place in New York.

Simpli is a new search platform for publishers; it enables advertisers to bid for the top three positions on a publisher’s site. Search123 is a self-service paid search network, launched in October 2000 and acquired by ValueClick in May 2003. The two services will now fall under the ValueClick Search brand. A similar rebranding was done last year with ValueClick Media, which is comprised of a portfolio group and a channel group.

Publishers can implement Simpli as a search box, directory, toolbar or contextual ad product. Larger publishers can customize a private label solution, adding the ability to sell the top three ad positions on top of the meta-search results Simpli provides to all publishers.

“Simpli gives advertisers another source of incremental search traffic and publishers more control of their users’ search experience, their traffic monetization opportunities, and their brand,” said James Beriker, general manager of ValueClick Search. As part of the rebranding, Beriker was promoted to GM from senior VP of search services.

Private label partners can also syndicate their Simpli search results, so the ads they sell into the platform will be seen on their own distribution network.

“This would be ideal for a larger publisher with demonstrated quality and volume of search traffic and an existing ad sales team, who thinks they’re sharing too much revenue with their search provider,” Beriker said.

The company expects to launch additional enhancements to its search products this year, with plans for an automated client optimization agent and an API to enable tool developers to integrate with ValueClick’s bid management system.