Dive Summary:

• While search campaigns tied to Google partners once fell under Google's umbrella for SEM managers, AOL can now be controlled through a white label form of AdWords.
• This technology allows SEM directors to allot an individual budget and gather and react to data from AOL specifically.
• The biggest catch is that AOL bids need to be $0.01 above AdWord bids and all keywords in Adwords must cross over to AOL as well to avoid Adwords' campaigns overpowering AOL's.

From the article:

For the longest time, SEM managers have had to lump their Google search targeted campaigns together with campaigns that targeted Google’s search partners. These partners have been made up of the likes of AOL, ASK.com, CNN and others. Google keep’s the full list under wraps similar to how an ad network does not broadcast their entire publisher list to the public.

With the demographic profile differing drastically on each search partner, not to mention the layout of the SERPs containing different amounts of ads, performance between traditional Google Search and the Search Partners can be quite different. Having as much control as possible of the Search Partner Network can prove SEM managers with an extra level of detail to manage campaigns more efficiently. The SEM community, specifically the #ppcchat community, have been champions of more control...