Understanding Contextual Targeting

Understanding Contextual Targeting

You may have heard about contextual targeting, but do you know what it means? Is it important?
Let's first define what contextual targeting is and is not. Contextual targeting is the matching of ads (Either through Adwords or Adsense) through the use of keywords or selected topics to sites.

Since most every webmaster has dabbled in Adsense, I will use it, Adsense, to explain. The spider will analyze your site or blog to determine your theme, as well as, the content that you have on your site. Once the theme is identified Google will target Adwords ads to the page, accordance to the advertiser's keyword, topic, language and location.

Okay, that's fine and dandy, but what's in it for you. Contextual targeting purpose is:

1. For the reader, useful information.
2. For the reader, not only useful information, but possibly information that people find an interest in, and which they may want to follow for a long time.
3. For the webmaster, increased readership and/or the potential for income.

Thus, if you have a website about "digital cameras", Google would determine, if you indicated through your keywords, that the web page is about digital camera. If that is the case, the bot will place ads about digital cameras on your web page.

If you are using AdWords, than your ads will show based upon the keywords that are targeted toward the website about digital cameras. Okay the above explains how you can get matching ads by keywords, but Google also may place ads according to topic.

 
What is Contextual Ads by Topic
Contextual ads are matched according to the concepts on a page, rather than matching the single terms or phrases on a page. Instead of using Camera as your target, you may decide to use Photo & Video. This expands your target and camera because only one subject within the "Photo and Video" topic.

As you can expect, search engine advertising is a form  of contextual advertising, since the ads that appear is based upon keywords and or topics. And thus, all the search engines, Yahoo, Google, Microsoft, etc. utilizes contextual advertising.


Can Contextual Targeting Benefit a Webmaster
Yes, it can have a positive impact on your earnings if your content, topic and keywords are more targeted to your niche or subject matter.

Bottomline, it's wise to have some idea about search engine optimization. For an intro to SEO, check out my website on it. SEO Basics. And yes, context targeting is important and should not be ignored if you want the target that will buy or enjoy your content.