Google AdSense interest based advertising

Earlier this year, Google announced a new option for users of Google AdSense: “interest based advertising”.

Interest based advertising is a new approach for Google AdSense. Previously, Google AdSense attempted to display “contextual adverts”, i.e., adverts that match the context of the website. For example, a golf related website should display adverts for golf and perhaps other sporting goods. Generally, the system has worked quite well.

Google AdSense interest based advertising attempts to display adverts based on the user’s overall use of the internet, for example, websites visited, length of visit and searches made. For example, if you were browsing a travel website but your passion was golf and the majority of websites that you visit are golf related, some of the adverts that you would see on the travel website would be golf related.

Google AdSense tracks the information required for interest based advertising using the DoubleClick DART cookie.

Even though no ‘personally identifiable information’ is collected and used, there have been concerns that interest based advertising is a breach of privacy. Google has reacted to such concerns by requiring websites that display Google AdSense adverts to update their privacy policy statements (required by the Google AdSense terms and conditions) by 8 April 2009, i.e., today.

However, my principal concern as an internet marketer is how a switch to interest based advertising will affect my income.

Google believe that because interest based advertising provides personalised targeting of adverts, it should represent a more effective way to monetize websites. I am not so sure.

On most of the websites that I use Google AdSense, the adverts are designed to blend in so that they almost look like part of the website (within the Google AdSense rules). Interest based adverts will still blend in but will be off subject. Will a user looking at one of my restaurant related websites really be distracted enough to click on, say, a golf related advert?

Also, many computers are used by more than one person. In such cases, interest based advertising may not work at all.

Some people set up websites purely for the Google AdSense income. The subjects that they select are chosen for the amount that the Google AdSense adverts are likely to pay per click. Interest based advertising breaks this model.

Time will tell whether interest based advertising will affect Google AdSense income. For the time being, I have turned it off for my Google AdSense websites.

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