ClickEquations

ClickEquations, founded in 2006 by Craig Danuloff, operated as a paid search management platform headquartered in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. The company was established to provide a sophisticated tool for large advertisers and agencies to more effectively manage complex pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns. Craig Danuloff, a technology entrepreneur with a history of founding companies in e-commerce and ad-tech, including iCat Corporation which was acquired by Intel, brought extensive experience to the venture. His background also includes authoring over 20 computer books and involvement in overseeing search management accounts for Fortune 100 and Internet Retailer 100 companies.

The firm provided a suite of tools designed to streamline paid search operations. Its core offering was a web-based platform that consolidated the management of Google, Yahoo!, and MSN campaigns into a single interface. Key functionalities included bid management, which allowed for both manual bid adjustments and the implementation of automated bid rules, comprehensive campaign editing, and robust reporting services. A notable feature was the ClickEquations Analyst, an advanced Excel plug-in that offered deep analytics, along with customizable and shareable reports and dashboards. The platform also included unique tools like 'Keyword Zoom' to align search queries with keywords and 'Text Ad Zoom' to identify terms triggering ad queries. The business model was centered on providing this technology as a software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution to clients who managed substantial paid search budgets.

Initially known as Commerce360, the company rebranded to ClickEquations in April 2009. It successfully raised a total of $8.5 million in venture capital over three funding rounds, with investors including First Round Capital, Novitas Capital, and Actua. The company's journey culminated in two acquisitions. First, it was acquired by Channel Intelligence on June 14, 2011. Subsequently, in December 2011, Acquisio acquired the ClickEquations business from Channel Intelligence, integrating its technology and team to enhance its own performance marketing platform for agencies. Channel Intelligence retained a license to use the technology after the sale.

Keywords: paid search management, PPC platform, Craig Danuloff, bid management solution, campaign editing, search advertising analytics, ClickEquations Analyst, Commerce360, Channel Intelligence acquisition, Acquisio acquisition, pay-per-click software, ad-tech, search engine marketing, digital advertising tools, Excel plug-in for PPC, automated bid rules, keyword management, cross-platform campaign management, PPC reporting, search analytics