Pretend you are shopping for a necktie online. What's the first thing you're going to type into that search box? If you could answer that question with the phrase that gets people clicking on the ad next to your search results, then you, smart person, can join the Niel Robertson regiment. Robertson, the ebullient chief executive of a Boulder, Colo, startup called Trada, has recruited 1,000 freelancers to spend hours each week guessing which search phrases convert into clicks that lead to purchases of scarves, shoes and Native American headdresses. The people Trada pays work at advertising agencies or are stay-at-home parents or retirees.
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