WebProNews

If you run a site that features a great deal of content, having an effective site search function can be a deal breaker for visitors and for potential customers.

It's this knowledge that seemingly inspired Vivisimo, developer of the Clusty.com clustering search engine, to introduce an affiliate program where potential clients would be able to integrate aspects of Vivisimo's technology onto their site, while also participating in a revenue sharing program where clients can potentially get a percentage of money made from sponsored link clicks (provided by Looksmart and Ask Jeeves). The ability to share ad revenue from PPC clicks is one of the main differences between Vivisimo's affiliate program and installing a free site search from Google or Yahoo.

After completing the approval process, clients will then receive the Vivisimo software, developed in XML, which is then integrated onto their site. Once this is complete, visitors to the Clusty-equipped site we be able to perform a number of tasks like site search and web search. When results are returned to these queries, they are accompanied with clusters that can help further refine a user's search by giving them result "suggestions" they may not have thought of.

For those who may not know, Vivisimo's clustering technology provides users with a list of like items (a cluster), which is derived by grouping documents (from related keyword searches) based on their textual similarities and another, more human-based method that outlines what users want to see when examining cluster results. This technology is used by AOL Search, among others.

For further descriptions, take a look at Vivisimo's clustering technology white paper (pdf).

By joining Vivisimo's affiliate program, clients will be able to feature this technology on their site; a proposition that Senior Director Ed Brunins feels increases the monetization of a site by a noticeable margin. Brunins goes on to say, "Vivisimo's Affiliate Solutions are designed for small to medium-sized Web sites to optimize their existing web traffic. The turnkey solution provides a way for partners to monetize on the strength of their traffic and business plan."

Chris Richardson is a search engine writer and editor for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest search news.