The Dawn of Paid Search Advertising

This chapter explores the early days of online advertising with the launch of GoTo.com and its innovative pay-per-click model, contrasting it with traditional organic search expectations. It examines the challenges faced by GoTo against larger platforms like Yahoo and AOL, and later its strategic shift to the Overture brand leading to increased revenue during the dot-com downturn. Additionally, the chapter discusses the significant acquisition of Overture by Yahoo, highlighting financial implications and industry reactions amidst a chaotic market landscape.