Patent ID: 8332269

Claim:
A method comprising: accessing by one or more computer systems advertising information that comprises: a plurality of keywords that each correspond to an advertising group; and a plurality of advertising metric values, each of the keywords corresponding to a particular advertising metric value for each of a plurality of advertising metrics; generating by the one or more computer systems a keyword bid for a first one of the keywords by: based on the particular advertising metric values corresponding to the first keyword for first particular ones of the advertising metrics: calculating a target cost for the first keyword representing a desired profit margin for the first keyword; and calculating a bid-cost delta for the first keyword representing a weighted average difference between the bid and the cost associated with the first keyword; and combining the target cost for the first keyword with the bid-cost delta for the first keyword; generating by the one or more computer systems an advertising-group bid for the advertising group by: for each of second particular ones of the advertising metrics, averaging the particular advertising metric values corresponding to two or more second ones of the keywords for the second particular advertising metric; based on the averages: calculating a target cost for the advertising group representing a desired profit for the advertising group; and calculating a bid-cost delta for the advertising group representing a weighted average difference between the bid and the cost associated with the advertising group; and combining the target cost for the advertising group with the bid-cost delta for the advertising group; and communicating by the one or more computer systems the keyword bid for the first keyword and the advertising-group bid for the advertising group for use in bidding on placement of one or more advertisements associated with the first keyword or the advertising group.