DoubleClick, Inktomi Ally to Grow Keyword Network

Search technology firm Inktomi Corp. on Thursday agreed to urge companies from its client list to join DoubleClick Inc.‘s recently announced search network, which allows advertisers to buy keywords across a variety of search sites.

Inktomi’s (INKT) partners and customers include America Online, Excite@Home, Geocities, Microsoft, Snap, Real Networks, and Yahoo. The company says it serves more than 4.2 billion search queries per quarter, across its entire client base.

The deal is an effort to get DoubleClick’s (DCLK) new search network off the ground, by adding the keyword inventory of Inktomi’s clients. The company’s pitch to portals included the promise of increased revenue, because they can use the network to offer a larger inventory to potential advertisers.

“Today’s announcement brings together Inktomi’s comprehensive search services and DoubleClick’s advertising solutions,” said Jeffery Silverman, publisher of the DoubleClick Business Network.

“Our premium collection of quality, name-brand sites will provide new revenue opportunities to Inktomi’s current and future customers by extending their reach to advertisers and publishers worldwide.”