Ask Jeeves will launch its own pay-per-click platform, similar to that of Google, which now powers sponsored listings on Ask Jeeves, reports MediaPost. The new system will be based on keyword bidding - but with some sort of relevance metric, such as click-through rates, being factored into the advertiser's cost. The minimum bid would reportedly be 5 cents. At least initially, the Ask Jeeves listings would likely coexist with Google's; their contract expires in 2007.

When asked, Ask Jeeves refused to provide answers regarding the reported initiative….

Rumors of the move have been making the rounds since the AP reported that InterActiveCorp's Barry Diller was considering developing a new paid search system. IAC completed its $1.9 billion purchase of Ask Jeeves last week.

Google and Yahoo dominate the sponsored search market. In March, MSN - which receives sponsored search listings from Yahoo - announced it would develop its own paid search platform, adCenter.