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Contextual advertising (also called contextual targeting) is a form of targeted digital advertising. Contextual advertising is also called "In-Text" advertising or "In-Context" technology. Contextual targeting involves the use of linguistic factors to control the placement of advertising material. The advertisements are selected and delivered by automated systems, taking into consideration the context of a user's search or browsing behavior.
As advertisers and marketers increasingly prioritize brand safety and suitability, contextual advertising has emerged as a crucial aspect of safeguarding brand reputation and value. Contextual ads are commonly perceived as less irritating than traditional advertising, therefore influencing users more effectively. It reflects user interests, thus increasing the chance of receiving a response.
How it works
A contextual advertising system scans the content of a website for specific keywords and phrases and then displays advertisements based on those keywords. For example, a user browsing a sports-related website sees advertisements for companies related to sports, such as sellers of sports memorabilia or tickets. Contextual advertising is also used by search engines to display advertisements on their search results pages based on the keywords in the user's query.
When a visitor does not click on an ad quickly enough (the minimum time a user must click on the ad), the ad automatically changes to the next relevant ad.
Service providers
Google AdSense was the first major contextual advertising network. It works by providing webmasters with JavaScript code that, when inserted into webpages, displays relevant advertisements from the Google ad inventory. Relevance is calculated by a separate Googlebot that indexes the content of a webpage. Competitors use language-independent proximity pattern matching algorithms to increase matching accuracy.
Media.net is the other major contextual ad network competing with Google AdSense.
References
- ‘Personalization diminished’: In the GDPR era, contextual targeting is making a comeback Published by digiday on June 7, 2018, retrieved on November 13, 2019
- "Why 'brand suitability' is replacing brand safety". Digiday. 2020-01-24. Retrieved 2020-05-14.
- "Advantages of Contextual Advertising for Apps". Retrieved 2016-10-24.
- "Contextual Marketing Definition". PC Magazine. Archived from the original on 2008-09-20. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
- "Proximic Signs Deals With Yahoo and eBay To Turn Product Listings Into Contextual Ads; Taking on AdSense". Retrieved 2008-01-15.
- Wauters, Robin (2012-05-07). "Media.net Will Soon Employ 500 People To Challenge Google". Retrieved 2016-08-19.
- Wauters, Robin (November 2010). "From Bootstrapping To $300M In Value: Meet The Founder Of Directi (TCTV)". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
External links
- Ferguson, Renee Boucher. "A Battle Is Brewing Over Online Behavioral Advertising". www.eweek.com. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
- Ostrow, Adam (19 June 2008). "When Contextual Advertising Goes Horribly Wrong - Mashable". mashable.com. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
- "FTC Staff Proposes Online Behavioral Advertising Privacy Principles". www.ftc.gov. 20 December 2007. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
- Kenny, D.; Marshall, J. (November–December 2000). "Contextual Marketing: The Real Business of the Internet". Harvard Business Review. 78 (6): 119–125. PMID 11184966. Archived from the original on 2014-10-13. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
- Revesencio, Jonha (2015-04-09). "CRM Retargeting: How It Works and Everything You Need to Know Before Using It - Huffington Post". huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2015-04-09.