Patent ID: 8219457

Claim:
A computer-implemented method of keyword bidding for Internet advertising, comprising: storing to a storage device: a plurality of keywords; a library of user-defined rules, each rule comprising: a set of one or more keyword conditions that triggers a respective rule when a number of the keyword conditions is met; a user-defined action to be taken when the respective rule is triggered, wherein the action includes bidding for a keyword that is associated with the respective rule via a user-specified bidding association; and an indication of a respective time period within which the respective rule is active and outside of which the respective rule is disabled, the indication indicating a date or time of day; user-specified bidding associations between ones of the rules and ones of the plurality of keywords; and interfacing with a web analytics tool to receive web analytics data; validating performance of a rule in the library based on the web analytics data from the web analytics tool; interfacing with a search engine, separately from the interface with the web analytics tool, to receive metric data; and determining, by a processor, that a current time is within the time period indicated by the stored indication of the rule in the library and in response: determining, by the processor, a measure of web traffic based on the metric data, wherein the web traffic was generated as a result of one or more advertisements, and wherein the advertisements were served at least in part due to a previous bidding on the keyword; comparing, by the processor, the measure of web traffic to the keyword conditions to determine if the number of keyword conditions is met during the time period when the rule is active; and executing, by the processor, the action defined in the rule responsive to determining that the number of keyword conditions is met during the time period when the rule is active.