Online marketing firm Miva, formerly known as FindWhat.com, said it has hired Deutsche Bank Securities to help it explore strategies to boost its share price, including a possible sale of the company, as well as selling securities, selling assets, recapitalizing, or making acquisitions, reports Reuters. The company was one of the first to launch pay-per-click web advertising, linking ads' cost to performance; an independent performance marketing network, it now offers online marketing services and helps clients bid for and sell internet advertising space.

Potential buyers include Yahoo, which could bring in Miva's advertisers and publishers into the Yahoo Publisher Network, or Microsoft, which could use it as launch pad for its new ad network, writes ClickZ.

In a November 2005 SEC filing, Miva increased to seven the number of company officers covered by its change-in-control plan, making executives' stock options immediately vest and giving them a year's severance pay upon termination.