Google launches interest-based advertising beta

According to Google, the interest-based application is a way for marketers to improve the delivery of the right messages and offers to people as they surf the web. The company says marketers will also connect better with people based on their interests and visits to websites.

The company says advertisers will be able to serve ads to users:

• on the Google content network and YouTube who have previously visited their website. For example, if a user looked at football boots on a sports wear website in August, that website might want to serve ads to that user on other websites in December, alerting them to their winter sale.
  
• based upon categories of interest that we associate with them. These interest categories will be assigned based upon previous YouTube video views and Google content network views. For example, if someone spends a large proportion of their online time looking at videos of cars on YouTube and car review sites on the Google content network, they will be categorised as a car enthusiast and will have the opportunity to see more car-related ads on the Google content network and YouTube.

Google says it has also launched what is says is an innovative and transparent way for users to see and control how they are being served ads. The Ads Preferences Manager will be available immediately and enables users to view, add and remove interests, or opt out entirely from receiving interest-based ads.

Mohammad Gawdat, MD for emerging markets at Google, said: "We believe that ads are a valuable source of information that can connect people to products, services and ideas that interest them. By making ads more relevant and improving the connection between advertisers and our users, we can create more value for everyone.

"We think we can make online advertising even more relevant and useful by using additional information about the websites people visit. Today we are launching an interest-based advertising beta on YouTube and the Google content network. These ads will associate interest categories, like sports, cars, or pets, with a user's browser, based on the types of sites they have visited and pages viewed. We may then use those interest categories to show users more relevant text and display ads. So, if a user is a keen traveller and visits lots of travel sites, Google could show them more travel- related ads.

"Over time we expect our ability to get the right ad in front of the right person at the right time to improve as we build interest categories with the help of our users and publishers. Interest-based advertising will help people see better, more relevant ads online, create new opportunities for brand and direct response advertisers and help publishers make more money from their online content. We believe that better advertising is better for everyone, especially as the new Ads Preferences Manager will offer users greater transparency, choice and control over what ads they see."