Russian search giant Yandex has been added to the NASDAQ Internet Index (Nasdaq:QNET), effective today.

The NASDAQ Internet Index includes companies in online software, Internet service providers, search engines,
web hosting, web design, and e-commerce. As of the time of this writing, the index is at 238.18 +3.03‎ (1.29%‎).

“As the largest Russian internet business, we are pleased that Yandex will now be included in the NASDAQ Internet Index alongside some of the most innovative and influential internet companies in the world. The addition of Yandex to the index is a recognition of our company’s growth and leadership, coupled with the strength of our technology and quality of our employees,” said CEO Arkady Volozh.

Today, Yandex also announced the release of a new ad model with real-time bidding for public testing.

“Real-Time Bidding provides us with an entirely new business model that boosts both return on investment for advertisers and advertising revenues for websites,” says Nikolay Danilov, who leads the project. “Advertisers now have an opportunity to target their display ads exclusively to specific audiences while paying exactly what they like. Website owners, on the other hand, can benefit from the auction-based sales that considerably improve their chances to increase revenue from advertising,”

The company explains the model as advertising systems fighting for the right to serve ads from their advertisers, as opposed to advertisers directly bidding for impressions.

Last month, Yandex scored a deal with Twitter, and launched new social features.

When a user visits a page, the system offers the ad systems the opportunity to buy an impression on the page the user is about to view. The systems, the company says, automatically choose the best ad for a particular offer, and make a bid. The system chooses the best bidder, and the user sees the ad that has won the auction.

The model has been implemented on sites in the Yandex Advertising Network, to serve both search and display ads.