Abstract: In response to a conversion action associated with an online advertisement (“ad”), an advertiser associated with the ad generates a unique identifier (e.g., a pseudo random number), which is transmitted to a payment system through a user device. In some implementations, the unique identifier can be generated by a payment system in response to a request from an advertiser. The advertiser stores the unique identifier in a secure location that is accessible by the payment system. The payment system compares the received unique identifier with the stored unique identifier. If the received unique identifier matches the stored unique identifier, and if the received unique identifier was not previously generated by the advertiser, then the payment system deems the conversion action to be valid.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided to allow advertisers to make ads available to publishers through an advertising system. The advertising system provides tamper proof tracking of conversion activity between publishers and advertisers. Further, advertisers can define plural different conversions to be associated with a single ad click through.

Abstract: An advertiser specifies a conversion-based bid for a conversion event associated with an ad. If a conversion event occurs for the ad, an effective conversion-based bid can be adjusted by a risk premium associated with the ad. An account associated with the advertiser can be debited based upon the adjusted effective conversion-based bid.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided to allow advertisers to make ads available to publishers through an advertising system. The advertising system provides tamper proof tracking of conversion activity between publishers and advertisers. Further, advertisers can define plural different conversions to be associated with a single ad click through.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided to allow advertisers to make ads available to publishers through an advertising system. The advertising system provides tamper proof tracking of conversion activity between publishers and advertisers. Further, advertisers can define plural different conversions to be associated with a single ad click through.

Abstract: In response to a conversion action associated with an online advertisement (“ad”), an advertiser associated with the ad generates a unique identifier (e.g., a pseudo random number), which is transmitted to a payment system through a user device. In some implementations, the unique identifier can be generated by a payment system in response to a request from an advertiser. The advertiser stores the unique identifier in a secure location that is accessible by the payment system. The payment system compares the received unique identifier with the stored unique identifier. If the received unique identifier matches the stored unique identifier, and if the received unique identifier was not previously generated by the advertiser, then the payment system deems the conversion action to be valid.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium include receiving, from an advertiser, advertisement criteria associated with an advertisement, the advertisement criteria comprising a first set of criteria and a budget and/or a bid, the advertisement criteria to be used in advertisement auctions for which the advertisement is to be considered for display to users performing online actions; determining a number of users for whom the advertisement was a candidate to be shown based on the first set of criteria associated with the advertisement, but to whom the advertisement was not shown based on the budget and/or bid of the advertisement during a particular period of time; and providing, in a report, information relating to the number of users.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer programs include receiving, from an advertiser, advertisement criteria associated with an advertisement; and receiving, from a database, information regarding advertisement auctions in which the advertisement participated during a predetermined time period. A simulation is run of a first of the advertisement auctions a plurality of times, wherein the bid amount for the advertisement is changed for each simulation run An identification is made of a number of users to whom the advertisement would have been presented had the bid amount of the advertisement in the first of the advertisement auction been equal to the bid amount of the advertisement in the one of the times the simulation is run. Information related to the number of users identified for each one of the plurality of times the simulation is run is provided in a report.

Abstract: An advertiser specifies a conversion-based bid for a conversion event associated with an ad. If a conversion event occurs for the ad, an effective conversion-based bid can be adjusted by a risk premium associated with the ad. An account associated with the advertiser can be debited based upon the adjusted effective conversion-based bid.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium include receiving, from an advertiser, advertisement criteria associated with an advertisement, the advertisement criteria comprising a first set of criteria and a budget and/or a bid, the advertisement criteria to be used in advertisement auctions for which the advertisement is to be considered for display to users performing online actions; determining a number of users for whom the advertisement was a candidate to be shown based on the first set of criteria associated with the advertisement, but to whom the advertisement was not shown based on the budget and/or bid of the advertisement during a particular period of time; and providing, in a report, information relating to the number of users.

Abstract: Methods, systems, apparatus and computer program products are provided for targeting content information. A method includes defining an environment in a document, defining at least one targeting criterion for the environment, and storing in the document a request code that is configured to request content for placement in the environment based on the targeting criterion.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, that can include receiving from an advertiser a request for billing based on a first measure of services, determining from quality data related to the advertiser whether the first measure of services can be converted with sufficient confidence to a second measure of services, providing services according to the first measure of services, monitoring stability data indicative of the stability of the relationship between the first measure of services and the second measure of services, and automatically switching from one to another mode of determining a price to be charged the customer for services provided.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, that can include receiving from an advertiser a request for billing based on a first measure of services, determining from quality data related to the advertiser whether the first measure of services can be converted with sufficient confidence to a second measure of services, providing services according to the first measure of services, monitoring stability data indicative of the stability of the relationship between the first measure of services and the second measure of services, and automatically switching from one to another mode of determining a price to be charged the customer for services provided.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for determining a probability that a traffic conversion of a content item associated with a content source (e.g., website) will occur based on past traffic patterns for that content source. A traffic conversion defines, for example, minimum traffic interactions of one or more associated user sessions with a content source. The minimum traffic interactions can be based on, for example, the duration of the one or more user sessions on the content source, or a quantity of pages associated with the content source navigated in the one or more associated user sessions.

Abstract: Advertisements are selected from a plurality of advertisements and associated with an advertisement environment in a document. Document advertisement request code that is configured to issue an advertisement request for one of the selected advertisements for presentation in the advertisement environment is stored in the document.

Abstract: A predicted performance metric of a candidate advertisement in an advertising slot can be received and compared to a baseline predicted performance metric for the candidate advertisement. A target bid associated with the candidate advertisement can be adjusted based upon the comparison, and the adjusted bid can be submitted to an auction for the advertising slot.

Abstract: Advertisements are selected from a plurality of advertisements and associated with an advertisement environment in a document. Document advertisement request code that is configured to issue an advertisement request for one of the selected advertisements for presentation in the advertisement environment is stored in the document.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided to allow advertisers to make ads available to publishers through an advertising system. The advertising system provides tamper proof tracking of conversion activity between publishers and advertisers. Further, advertisers can define plural different conversions to be associated with a single ad click through.

Abstract: A system sends ad content to a publisher, where the ad content includes a first snippet of code. The system receives requests from browsers accessing a document at the publisher that includes the ad content, where the browsers send the requests based on execution of the first snippet of code. The system transmits, based on receipt of the requests, a second snippet of code to the browsers that instructs the browsers on a content, format and appearance of text to be inserted within the document when the browsers render the document. The system tracks each transmission of the second snippet of code to determine a number of times the text has been displayed at the browsers.

Abstract: Systems and methods that identify and extract information from articles are described. In one embodiment, a search engine implements a method comprising receiving a plurality of articles, and identifying at least a first article as a shopping article. The method can further comprise receiving a search query for an item, selecting the first article as associated with the search query, and identifying a first attribute associated with a first item relevant to the search query from the first article based at least in part on the search query.