Web Marketing Strategy Update

Google has announced that it is collecting and storing data collected from searches users carry out on any search engine, and using it to better target ads to them on AdSense enabled sites they visit over the next few hours.

Google was already using the referral URL (the link a user followed to arrive at a site) as a factor in determining which ads to display on an AdSense enabled page.

Whenever a user arrives at a website after clicking a link in the search results of a search engine, the keyword terms they used in the search query are always appended to the referral URL (you can see this in your server logs).

On destination sites displaying AdSense ads, Google extracts this search term and treats it as part of the content of the site.

Google give the following example:

“The referral URL passed to your site may look something like this: http://www.google.com/search?q=golf+shop+atlanta.

To deliver the most relevant ad … we could use the additional information from the query words to show an ad for a golf shop in Atlanta rather than for one in Chicago (depending on the other words in the page).”

Now Google has gone a step further.  This search information is being stored in the advertising cookie on the user’s browser, and used to target ads to them on other AdSense enabled sites they may visit subsequently over the next few hours.

Google say, “After a short period of time (a few hours) the query words are no longer used for the purposes of matching ads.”

Note that Google doesn’t say the data is deleted. Or even that it is no longer used. They only say, “no longer used for the purposes of matching ads” (emphasis mine).

And although Google go on to remind us that users can opt out of its advertising cookie at any time here, realistically, how many non-webmasters will be aware that this is happening? Or even know about the advertising cookie and that they can opt out?

It might prove to be good for users of AdSense though. I have certainly noticed a jump in clicks on my AdSense ads over the last 2 days, though it’s too soon to draw any conclusions. Check your stats and see if you have a spike.

But if clickthroughs do increase appreciably, knowing Google they’ll probably gradually reduce the webmaster’s share of the ad price still further until there’s no net gain …  all too easy to do when you keep the formula a secret.

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In what’s going to be a huge disappointment to a lot of Adsense users, Google have announced that placing images adjacent to Adsense ads “in a way that suggests a relationship between the images and the ads” are violating the Adsense TOS.

Many webmasters have been placing small images to the side of their Adsense ad blocks because it’s been found to increase ad clicks.

Now that’s over.

From Ad and image placement: a policy clarification on the Adsense blog:

“We ask that publishers not line up images and ads in a way that suggests a relationship between the images and the ads. If your visitors believe that the images and the ads are directly associated, or that the advertiser is offering the exact item found in the neighboring image, they may click the ad expecting to find something that isn’t actually being offered. That’s not a good experience for users or advertisers.”

Google also provide 2 familiar-looking examples “that wouldn’t comply with our policies.”

This short paragraph in the middle of the post is potentially more worrying though, and suggests publishers may be on shaky ground with many of the tactics they currently use to increase CTR:

“Publishers should also be careful to avoid similar implementations that people could find misleading. For instance, if your site contains a directory of Flash games, you should not format the ads to mimic the game descriptions.”

It’s hard to escape the conclusion from that example that blending ads to look like navigation links, etc., could also be considered unacceptable …

I should imagine other ad networks like YPN will also take the same line. For example, on Clicksor today I noticed this:

“Clicksor has prohibited the use of images directly beside text ads.
Dear Publishers,

Clicksor.com is announcing that all publishers are not allowed to line up images and ads in ways that suggest a direct relationship between the two. Clicksor.com is banning this activity to avoid any negative experiences for users and advertisers. Publishers who violate the above rule will be suspended. Earnings generated by publishers performing such activities will be withheld.”