Seeking to expand its already well-honed ability to sell targeted Internet advertisements, online search leader Google Inc. said it has agreed to pay $3.1 billion in cash to acquire ad-management technology company DoubleClick Inc.

New York-based DoubleClick helps its customers place and track online advertising, including search ads, which Google — more than its nearest search competitors Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp. — has turned into an extremely lucrative business.

DoubleClick had been the target of a fierce bidding war between Microsoft and Google, and Google’s winning bid is nearly three times the amount DoubleClick fetched when it went private in 2005 for $1.1 billion.

The acquisition is the largest in Google’s history, beating out the $1.76 billion deal for online video-sharing site YouTube Inc. late last year.

USA Today