08.29.2008 — Yodle, an online ad firm, offers to help small business owners decide when and when not to purchase advertising space on search engines and Web sites.

The company's site, Yodle.com, uses a patent-pending mathematical algorithm to determine the best time to purchase ads on sites from Google and Yahoo! to YellowPages.com and City Search.

"It's a bidding algorithm," says CEO Court Cunningham. "We use it to figure out if we should bid and how much to bid for an advertisement. We decide which ad to show and how much to pay for it."

The company's targets include local contractors, who may not be well versed in search engine optimization and other Web site best practices.

Yodle uses its ClickRank technology to track visitors and to channel them to the waiting humans manning those small businesses. "Our mantra is: 'Clicks are great, but calls are better,'" Cunningham says.

If you don't have a Web site, Yodle helps there, too. "We'll host it for them," Cunningham says. "And there usually isn't much need for maintenance."

HousingDownturn.org is Exclusive to Sub-Contractors

It was clear to Yodle executives that the economy was taking its toll on many small business owners. So, it took some progressive action.

Yodle launched HousingDownturn.org as a free service to some of its most valued clientele. While Yodle.com works with small businesses across the board, HousingDownturn.org is a resource strictly for sub-contractors, like integrators.

"The idea actually came from a contractor in Maryland," Cunningham says. "He said, 'I never thought of marketing as something you can dial up in a recession.' But it makes sense."

Cunningham says that despite the downturn, people are still spending money. "People are still typing into Google searches, say, 'home theater.' And they are potential customers."

For this reason, HousingDownturn.org is offering its visitors free marketing tips, news stories, helpful links and advertising advice.

"We've included relevant industry news, case studies, what other contractors are doing, a bunch of information," Cunningham says. "Essentially, it's a knowledge base."

Founded three years ago, Yodle.com now has 150 employees, according to its and is growing at a pace of 700 percent annually.

"Clearly, we're growing at a very healthy rate at what is if not a recession, then close to a recession," he says, adding, "and what works for us, works for our customers."