eBay will discontinue its eBay Keywords advertising program at the end of September. The paid-search ad program allows eBay sellers to bid for keywords for ad placements. eBay launched the program in 2003 using DoubleClick's DART for Publishers solution.

eBay Keywords is an eBay version of paid-search programs such as Google AdWords and Yahoo Search Marketing (formerly Overture), but limited to the eBay website. Sellers bid on keywords, and whenever a shopper enters a search term in eBay's search box, banner advertisements appear above the search results in the header of the page. The ads can be linked directly to eBay auctions, Store listings, or About Me pages.

The eBay Keywords program is not to be confused with eBay's new contextual ad system. eBay AdContext, launched in beta mode in June, is designed to give affiliates an automatic way to incorporate dynamic eBay content into their Web sites or blogs.

In its announcement on Wednesday, eBay said the Keywords program had been used by a very small percentage of eBay members since its launch. The demise of the paid-search program comes as eBay begins working with Yahoo in a multi-year strategic partnership announced in May (http://auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y06/m05/i25/s03).

In fact, eBay began inserting Yahoo Search Marketing ads into eBay search results pages in July, something eBay sellers have objected to as those ads compete with their own listings (http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y06/m07/i19/s01).

eBay will begin phasing out the eBay Keywords program the week of September 5th, and the program will close on September 30th.

http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200608231300182.html