Search marketer Inceptor is expected to announce today a self-service PPC bid management platform, BidCenter, which allows keyword management across paid search programs from Google, Yahoo and Miva - also MSN and AskJeeves when they launch their platforms - ClickZ and DM News report.

Via a central web-based management console instead of each engine's console, keywords can be managed separately or in groups; also, users can set up automatic bidding rules to manage those groups, for example telling the system to maximize the number of clicks and keep the average cost at a given level.

BidCenter can optimize traffic, revenue, conversions, ROI, CPA or CPC while ensuring another variable doesn't exceed a certain limit, helping to tailor campaigns to various goals - driving sales, attracting new customers, building awareness or increasing ROI.

Inceptor has itself provide the service to its clients in the past, but with the self-service launch it is shifting back to being a search technology provider - a market with less competition (e.g., Atlas OnePoint and Efficient Frontier; Did-It and iProspect) - instead of merely one of many SEM firms that provide access to technology, Inceptor EVP and CTO Mike Sack is quoted by ClickZ as saying.