Everyclick.com, a UK-based search engine that raises money for charities each time a user conducts a query, is hoping to significantly increase the amount of money it generates over 2008, the Guardian reports.Everyclick.com believes the cash it raises may triple this year as a result of expansion in the US and new links with big firms.
The site works in the same way as other search engines, such as Google and Yahoo!, except that each time a user carries out a search, Everyclick.com gives 50p to a charity of that user's choice. Revenue is generated by Everyclick.com's advertisers.
There are more than 170,000 charities to choose from and, so far, the company has raised more than £369,127 for good causes, having processed searches for over 85,268 individuals.
Chief executive of the site Polly Gowers predicted that it will acquire many new fans over the course of 2008.
"This is a free lunch because it doesn't cost anyone anything. It works. You search the web and it generates money," she stated.
Ms Gowers and her colleagues have had to work hard to establish themselves in a market dominated by large multi-national companies and have gained ground by asking businesses and schools to make Everyclick.com their default search engine.
It is now the eighth most popular search engine in the UK and is ranked 18th globally, according to data produced by Hitwise.
