GoTo.com Claims More than 1,000 Advertisers

Pasadena, CA-based GoTo.com, the search engine that allows Web sites to purchase placement within search results via a bidding process, said it has signed up more than 1,000 paid advertisers.

Advertisers are spending anywhere from one cent to a dollar per click-through for highly targeted search terms as part of GoTo’s pay-for-performance pricing model, the company said.

E-commerce sites Barnesandnoble.com, OnSale, Travelocity, Egghead, Shopping.com, eToys, Z-Auction, Multiple Zones International, NECX and Virtual Vineyards are among the companies that have signed up for context-sensitive search result advertising listings.

“While everyone else is focused on selling banner advertisements which are really just billboards for the Internet, our search listings advertising product allows us to charge on pay-per-click basis, sort of like paying just for the customers that walk into your store,” said Jeffrey Brewer, chief executive officer of GoTo.com.

“We enable advertisers to better represent the full depth and breadth of their Web sites by linking the best and most relevant Web pages to specific search terms,” he said.

In a model similar to a yellow pages directory, Web sites are charged for more prominent placement and greater exposure in the search results listings.

Exclusivity is not available. “Therefore, we are not limited in our ability to ensure that all relevant and high-quality sites whether large or small businesses are included in any search,” Brewer said.