SAN FRANCISCO - Google Inc., owner of the most-used Internet search engine, has agreed to buy Teracent Corp. to gain software that helps online display advertisements better target Web users.
Teracent’s software selects elements of ads, such as images and colors, that can be optimized for users, based on criteria such as location and language, Google said yesterday. The acquisition will probably close this quarter. The price was not disclosed.
“This technology can help advertisers get better results from their display ad campaigns,’’ Google said. “In turn, this enables publishers to make more money from their ad space and delivers Web users better ads and more ad-funded Web content.’’
Google has bought companies to build its display-ad business as it looks for growth beyond text-based ads, which run next to search results. The company paid $3.2 billion last year for display-ad agency DoubleClick Inc. and said this month that it plans to buy mobile-display ad company AdMob Inc. for $750 million.
“They’re certainly showing their aggression and interest in this space,’’ said Martin Pyykkonen, an analyst with Janco Partners Inc. in Greenwood Village, Colo. “It’s almost in some ways, I would say, a little catch-up. Now they are catching up very well.’’
Teracent, founded in 2006, is based in San Mateo, Calif.
Shares of Google, based in Mountain View, Calif., rose $12.39 to $582.35. The shares have risen 89 percent this year.
