Bidvertiser

A somewhat different approach to pay-per-click advertising is offered by an entity called Bidvertiser. Although it is difficult to fit Bidvertiser into one of the neat little slots of types of search engine, it does offer another way to participate in pay-per-click advertising where you, the advertiser, have more control than normal in where your ads appear.

Bidvertiser is a subsidiary of Bpath, established in 1997 as an international services provider for websites. Bpath’s approach to business is to develop and offer private label website functions for leading web hosting and domain registration providers. With more than half a million webmasters in its network (over 80% of whom are small business concerns), Bpath offers international solutions that may fit the small business model in the United States.

Bidvertiser is called an “onsite bid-per-click” option that is a “3rd generation bidding-based marketplace connecting web publishers with advertisers.” As such, its main concentration is on linking together advertisers who wish to become involved in partnerships, affiliateships, or referral-type programs.

However, it does offer a bid-per-click process that is rather unique. Most every aspect of the model for advertisers who wish to place pay-per-click ads on the Bidvertiser network is standard, except that the advertisers themselves choose which websites they wish their ads to be place on. As they describe the process, “Place your ads on sites of your choice, set your pay per click pricing and pay only for clicks you receive.”

Sounds easy and simple, and it is easy and simple to set up. Advanced tools are included, such as auto bidding to adjust your cost per click to just 1 cent above the nearest competitor, but for the most part, the offering looks fairly standard and not as robust as other search engines in its league. However, it does offer international advertising in a well-developed online marketplace, especially for France, so if your target audience is international, it is worth investigating.

However, user comments are generally not very favorable about Bidvertiser. It is difficult to find postings citing a great experience with this search engine, but quite a few comments about being disappointed in the conversion results and general experience. This is not uncommon with smaller search engines, and particularly with one that is striving to serve an international marketplace at the same time.

It is an interesting concept that appeals to a lot of advertisers -- being able to choose which sites they want to bid to have their ad on -- but until their available sites become more numerous and varied, it will be difficult for Bidvertiser to be one of bPath's leading ventures.