Google Opens AdWords Behavioural Targeting To All

Over two years ago, Google started providing a limited few AdWords advertisers with access to a new feature; a beta trial of behaviourally targeting advertising.  

Traditionally, AdWords ads are shown when contextually relevant; ads relating to the content on the website a user was reading were displayed.  The new trial started to also take into account user behaviour; looking at the pages a user had visited, as well as past interactions with the advertiser, such as previous visits to their website.  Google also created a list of "interest categories", such as "sports enthusiasts" - again based on users' previous behaviours - which advertisers can specifically target.

Now, just over two years later, Google has opened up this capability to all AdWords search engine marketing advertisers.  There are now in excess of 1,000 interest categories from ecotourism to mobile phones.

Those interested to see how the system works or interested in what categories they as a user fall into can delve into the Ad Preferences tool.  By clicking on a new AdChoices icon which will appear at the top of all AdWords ads, users can then see which categories Google has categorised them into, as well as adding (and deleting) categories themselves.  

The new AdChoices has been developed by the "Self-Regulatory Program for Online Behavioral Advertising", which - rather obviously - is an organisation of media owners in the US hoping that by self-regulation they can avoid the messy regulation of the industry that the EU is attempting.  This has to be something to strive for in an attempt to maintain control of the area.