Auction giant eBay will phase out its keyword ad program, which allows sellers to bid for keywords and get placement of text and display ads on its Web sites, in favor of Yahoo!’s pay-per-click ads.
Launched in 2003 using DoubleClick’s DART for Publishers platform, eBay Keywords functioned like a Google or Yahoo search marketing solution but specifically targeted the eBay Web site. Registered eBay marketers could pay to have their text ads appear in a one-box above the general search results for appropriate keyword searches on the eBay sites. Ads could link to eBay auctions, eBay Store listings, or seller profile pages.
In announcing the closure, eBay said the proprietary keyword-ad program had been used by only “a very small percentage of eBay members” since its launch. The auction company signed a multi-year partnership with Yahoo! last May that will include delivery of all graphical ads to the eBay.com site and sponsored search ads for some “complementary” products on selected eBay search results pages.
Tests of the Yahoo! Search Marketing ads began appearing on some eBay search results pages last month, prompting some eBay sellers to object that the ads would compete with their listings and that clicking on them would send traffic off the eBay site.
The eBay Keywords program will start closing down after Labor Day and will be fully terminated by Sept. 30, the company said.
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