CNET: Citysearch s in on local ads

Citysearch, a division of USA Interactive, said it will direct people searching on its site for services in a particular region or city to local businesses that have agreed to pay the search engine only when a person clicks on their listings. This model is generally known as "pay-per-click" advertising. […]

Citysearch's program, called Local Pay for Performance, mimics a highly successful model popularized by national search engines such as Overture Services and Google. Even news and information sites such as NYTimes.com, Boston.com and Washingtonpost.com are hoping to benefit from search engine marketing.