Overture has used Match Driver to link long search terms to popular shorter queries in order to effectively increase the site's search inventory for terms in high demand. In an e-mail to advertisers today, Overture announced additional matching options familiar to those already using Google's AdWords program. The new options will include "Broad Match" and "Phrase Match," as well as the ability to exclude keywords that indicate lack of relevance.

Search engine marketers will greet these new features enthusiastically, as the new options give them much more control over campaigns. Additionally, a pause and a conversion tracking feature will be released next week. More frequent reporting is also promised. The email Overture sent to search engine marketers is printed in the continued section.

Dear Overture Advertiser,

This weekend, Overture will enhance its service with new tools and features
that will provide you with more opportunities to connect with customers
online, as well as offer additional control over your account. As one of
our most valued advertisers, we wanted to ensure that you were informed of
these significant developments in advance. Among the changes you will see
are:

* Two new match types - Broad Match and Phrase Match - that will help
you acquire more customer leads by displaying your listings for a wider
range of relevant search queries
* An Excluded Words feature, which will allow you to block potential
matches that are not relevant to your business
* A Listings On/Off button, which gives you the ability to pause individual
listings whenever you choose
* Conversion Counter™, Overture’s new account performance tracking
tool
* IntraDay Reporting, providing updated account statistics several times
per day

In order to perform the necessary system upgrades, our DirecTraffic Center®
will be unavailable for a significant portion of this coming weekend. The
outage will begin at 7:30 p.m. PDT on Friday, August 15, and is scheduled
to last through 2:00 p.m. PDT on Sunday, August 17. Please note that you
will not be able to log in to the DirecTraffic Center after 7:00 p.m. PDT
on Friday, August 15.

We look forward to working with you to take advantage of these helpful new
features.

Sincerely,

Your partners at Overture