Search engine giant Google is beta testing a plan that would allow creators of YouTube videos to promote their material by purchasing keywords, one search engine expert said.

The system would display the videos on a YouTube search results page in much the same way keyword advertising helps promote Websites on Google's popular search engine, said Gregory Markel (pictured, credit Mike Banks Valentine Copyright 2007), founder of Infuse Creative LLC.

Markel, interviewed Monday at the Search Engine Strategies conference in San Jose, said the testing of Promote Your Video has been going on for about two months and is confined to ad agencies.

The videos being promoted by a keyword would appear next to or above – but separated from – the search results on the YouTube page, Markel said. It is unclear when the program will go public.

On Google's search page, keywords permit a Web site ad to appear when users conducts a search with that keyword.

By Mark Boslet, Editor at large.