Behavioral targeted advertising has begun-and as most issues that revolve around privacy tend to be, it is generating controversy.  Those in favor recognize the value of the ability to reach your target audience without the need to funnel funds into an abyss hoping for a bite and those opposed cite privacy violations.

Behavioral targeting technologies work by anonymously monitoring and tracking content viewed and websites visited by a specified unique user or IP. This is accomplished by serving tracking codes, which are implemented as cookies, on a user’s computer as they are served ads from various online advertising networks.

Websites visited, content viewed, and length of visit are then databased and analyzed to predict an online behavioral pattern, creating an online demographic for that user. Behavioral targeted ad networks then serve targeted advertising relevant to that user’s behavioral classification, regardless of where they then visit.  This gives marketers a clear advantage, taking marketing to a new and interactive level.

Delving further into the subject, while it is of course important to allow users the opportunity to opt out of participating, it is equally important to analyze the benefits derived from those who opt to participate in behavioral targeted advertising.  Behavioral targeted advertising benefits the participant as well as the marketer.  An example would be a participant looking for a new car would receive ads related to that search.  Brought to you by Deep Blue Interactive, your Fort Lauderdale SEO marketing and web design firm.

Google is set to start displaying advertisements today to users based on their interests, which are determined using their previous online activities.  This form of advertising is known collectively as behavioral targeting, and has been adopted by most of Google’s competitors, drawing criticism from privacy advocates and some Congress members.

Google announced that it plans to offer new methods for users to protect their privacy.  Notably, Google will be the first of the behavior targeting advertisers to give users the ability to view and edit the compiled information about their interests, the information used to place similar ads on their screens.  Rival Yahoo gives its users the choice to opt out of “interest-based advertising”; Google is committed to provide the same service.  Privacy advocates praise Google’s decision to allow users access to the information compiled regarding their interests.

As for how the technology works, Google will use a cookie, which is a small piece of text within a Web browser.  The cookies have the ability to track users who visit any of the hundreds of thousands of sites that show ads through Google’s AdSense program. Google then assign those users to specific categories based on the content of the pages they view. An example of this is a user visiting real estate sites; they will be categorized as a potential homebuyer.

Google then uses the compiled and categorized information to place ads that are relevant to specific users and their interests. A potential homebuyer may see an ad about real estate not only on a real estate website, but also on an entertainment or news site that uses AdSense .  These targeted advertisements are also available on YouTube, which is owned by Google.  Brought to you by Deep Blue Interactive, your Fort Lauderdale based web design and SEO solution.

The attention spans of online video viewers are improving.  Previously viewers were searching for and watching short clips online, and online content was generated based on those findings and habits.  As time goes on and users become more technology savvy, they have begun to utilize the convenience of available network programming online to watch entire episodes on their computers-on their own schedule as well as other online video resources.

Enter Hulu, the NBC-Fox venture that is now one year old.  From its onset, Hulu received ridicule and predictions of failure.  Today Hulu is the sixth-largest video site on the World Wide Web-with an impressive 6.3 million users in September.  Hulu and other online video providers are showing that users are becoming increasingly engaged in watching longer videos, from the Olympic Games to election coverage and everything in between.

In fact, the average length of a video on Blip.TV has increased from 3-5 minutes to 5-7 minutes over the period of one year.  Video sites such as YouTube and others have been presenting a stream of related content to watch after a video ends, and have found it useful. This practice is similar to targeted advertising online and keeps viewers tuned in for longer increments of time.

The internet becomes more a part of our lives each day.  Rather than having no option but to sit through an entire news broadcast to hear the segment you are interested in, or waiting through endless commercials to watch a program, people are turning to the internet for their entertainment and other needs.  It is vital that your business has a compelling and searchable website in order to generate new clients.

Deep Blue Interactive is your integrated marketing source in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  Our team of highly skilled professionals can strategically draw your targeted audience to your website through search engine optimization and powerful web design.  Contact Deep Blue today for your free website analysis and consultation!

Amid all of the controversy and press regarding the potential advertising agreement between online mogul Google and its smaller counterpart Yahoo, the two tycoons have agreed to a brief delay in proceedings.  The brief delay is reportedly a courtesy to the Justice Department, allowing them more time to investigate the alleged antitrust implications of the deal.

The extra window of time will give regulators extended time to fully investigate the proposed deal, ensuring that all interests are aligned legally and in the best interest of all parties involved.  Those who oppose the deal include several major advertising agencies and groups who claim the advertising partnership would give Google dominance and an unfair advantage over the search advertising market and could lead to a monopoly or increased prices.

In a statement Yahoo responded:  “We have had discussions with regulators and look forward to responding to their questions about this agreement.” 

Google also responded with a statement:  “As we are still in conversation with the Department of Justice, we have agreed to a brief delay in implementing the agreement while those discussions continue.”

Both parties are cooperating with the proper investigative authorities, and in the interest of time and money are hoping things are settled as quickly as possible.  The company’s valuable time equals money, and for this reason they plan to go ahead with the advertising deal in which Google will begin placing ads alongside some of Yahoo’s search results as early as October.  It is important to note that when Google and Yahoo initially announced the advertising deal in June, they voluntarily gave regulators 100 days to review it. 

This update has been brought to you by Deep Blue Interactive, your Fort Lauderdale integrated marketing solution.

You do not get to be the holder of upwards of 70 percent of the search advertising market without a clear and fine tuned strategy.  The principle that Google’s advertising business was founded on is to deliver the right information to the right person at the right time.

Both the search and ad team at Google is on top of their game, always working toward better results.  Google includes hundreds of thousands of advertisements with millions of products and services, and must filter them by relevance in a timely manner to discern which ads are useful to which users.  This is no easy task, but is now within reach compared to the early days of advertising.

Targeting advertisements involves understanding what users are looking for, and giving it to them.  Timing is crucial when an individual is searching for a specific product or service, and it is desirable to reach as many interested users who are at the point of purchase-therefore advertisers will invest more for Google ads because they see a higher return on their investment.  Components of a good advertisement have been analyzed and tested by Google for years, and they are continually tested.

Advertisements are being tested to be relevant to a user’s location and preferences, and users are starting to utilize these buttons to personalize their searching and advertising experiences.  The world of advertising is getting smarter and there are many breakthroughs to come.  Make sure that your company is at the forefront of the advertising era with Google and Deep Blue Interactive of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  Strategic online marketing and advertising is the focus of future business growth and wealth.