Choosing allocations and prices in position auctions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10269045-B2
Application number	US-201414312425-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 23, 2014
Priority date	Jun 23, 2014
Publication date	Apr 23, 2019
Grant date	Apr 23, 2019

Abstract

The subject matter of this specification can be embodied in, among other things, a method that includes receiving a request for content to fill a block, the request including information about a size of the block and criteria for identifying eligible content items for inclusion in the block, determining a number of content items to be included in the block, including determining amounts of dynamic resizing to apply to content items, determining an estimate of a difference in conversion rates conditional on receiving an interaction in the different configurations that perform differing amounts of dynamic resizing, and applying the estimate when determining an efficiency for a number of permutations of allocations of eligible content items, establishing a price to be charged to each content sponsor associated with a permutation that has a highest efficiency, and providing the eligible content items and charging the content sponsors based on the established prices.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving a request for content to fill a block, the request including information about a size of the block and selection criteria for identifying one or more eligible content items for inclusion in the block;
determining estimated conversion rates of content items presented in different content item configurations, each with different amounts of dynamic content item resizing applied to one or more of the content items in the different content item configurations, wherein a content item conversion is a specified user action that is completed at a website to which a user is directed after and in response to the user interacting with the content item;
determining an efficiency for each of the different content item configurations with the different amounts of dynamic content item resizing applied, wherein the efficiency for a given content item configuration with k content items included in the block is determined as:
c k Σ j=1 k x j,k v (j) ,

where c k is an estimated conversion rate of content items presented in the given content item configuration when k content items are presented in the given content item configuration, x j,k is a position effect for a content item shown in a j-th position in the given content item configuration when k content items are presented in the given content item configuration, and v (j) is a j-th highest effective bid from a set of multiple effective bids from content item sponsors for inclusion of their respective content items in the block;
determining how many content items to be included in the block, including:
identifying a content item configuration having a highest efficiency; and
determining a number of content items that are included in the identified content item configuration having the highest efficiency;

selecting the number of eligible content items for presentation in the identified content item configuration;
dynamically re-sizing eligible content items selected for presentation in the identified content item configuration according to the dynamic content item resizing that was applied when the efficiency for the identified content item configuration was determined;
establishing a price to be charged to each content item sponsor having an eligible content item that was selected for presentation in the identified content item configuration; and
providing the selected eligible content items for presentation in the identified content item configuration responsive to the request and charging the content item sponsors based on the established prices.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein an effective bid is based on a combination of a bid price and a quality score for a respective individual eligible content item when included in the block.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein establishing includes, for each position in the identified content item configuration:
determining a total increase in efficiency for all other content items when removing a content item selected for presentation in a given position, wherein the total increase in efficiency is based on all content items except the removed content item; and
establishing a price for each position based on the determined increase in efficiency.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein determining a total increase in efficiency further includes:
determining an efficiency for the identified content item configuration without a respective content item that is selected for presentation in a given position;
determining a total counterfactual efficiency equal to the highest efficiency content item configuration that does not include a respective eligible content item in the block; and
combining the determined efficiency and the determined total counterfactual efficiency.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein combining includes subtracting the determined efficiency from the determined total counterfactual efficiency.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining an efficiency for the identified content item configuration includes removing a contribution in an efficiency calculation for a respective eligible content item that is associated with a given position of the block.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the eligible content items are advertisements.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein dynamically re-sizing the eligible content items that are selected for presentation in the identified content item configuration is based at least in part on a value to a respective sponsor for inclusion of their content item in the block.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining a reserve price that is associated with the block for any content items that are to be included in the block and using the reserve price in establishing the price.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein establishing the price includes using the reserve price as a floor when calculating the efficiency for the identified content item configuration.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein using the reserve price as a floor includes using the reserve price instead of a bid price when the bid price is less than the reserve price for a given eligible content item.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein establishing a price further includes dividing the efficiency for the identified content item configuration by a quality score of a respective eligible content item that is selected for presentation in a given position.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the quality score includes a measure of predicted performance for a given eligible content item when presented in a position in the block.

14. A system comprising:
one or more computing devices; and
one or more computer-readable media coupled to the one or more computing devices and having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the one or more computing devices, cause the one or more computing devices to perform operations comprising:
receiving a request for content to fill a block, the request including information about a size of the block and selection criteria for identifying one or more eligible content items for inclusion in the block;
determining estimated conversion rates of content items presented in different content item configurations, each with different amounts of dynamic content item resizing applied to one or more of the content items in the different content item configurations, wherein a content item conversion is a specified user action that is completed at a website to which a user is directed after and in response to the user interacting with the content item;
determining an efficiency for each of the different content item configurations with the different amounts of dynamic content item resizing applied, wherein the efficiency for a given content item configuration with k content items included in the block is determined as:
c k Σ j=1 k x j,k v (j) ,

where c k is an estimated conversion rate of content items presented in the given content item configuration when k content items are presented in the given content item configuration, x j,k is a position effect for a content item shown in a j-th position in the given content item configuration when k content items are presented in the given content item configuration, and v (j) is a j-th highest effective bid from a set of multiple effective bids from content item sponsors for inclusion of their respective content items in the block;
determining how many content items to be included in the block, including:
identifying a content item configuration having a highest efficiency; and
determining a number of content items that are inc

Assignees

• Google Llc

Inventors

• Hummel Patrick

Classifications

• G06Q30/0243

  Comparative campaigns · CPC title

• G06Q30/0275 Primary

  Auctions · CPC title