Patent ID: 6978263

Claim:
A method for providing a search result list, the method comprising: receiving a search request from a searcher; in a database of search listings, each search listing being associated with an advertiser and including at least one search term and a bid amount modifiably bid by the advertiser, identifying search listings having search terms generating a match with the search request; selecting according to bid amount no more than a predetermined number of identified search listings for display to the searcher; arranging as the search result list the identified search listings for display in a random order weighted according to the bid amount associated with each respective identified search listing, included for each identified search listing, comparing the bid amount for the each search listing with a value weighted by a random number, if the bid amount for the identified search listing does not exceed the value weighted by the random number, moving the identified search listing to the search result list; and communicating the search result list to the searcher.