Google integrates AdSense with Maps

"Mapplets" No time frame set

[RonPK]

PC World article [pcworld.com]

In a sneak preview Thursday, Google Inc. revealed how it plans to integrate its AdSense advertising platform with Google Maps, meaning some push-pin graphics used at the maps site could be turned into mini-advertisements.

Not sure I fully understand the business model behind this. Especially as users can easily turn off this feature.

[phranque]

Especially as users can easily turn off this feature.

for now...

[cvas]

You could be a Google Maps API developer and decide to put all plumbers in your city on a map. Each marker infowindow could display an adsense ad besides the address and phone number of the plumber. That would be a possible implementation, the question that remains to be answered is how to target an ad on such little infowindow content?

[mickmel]

This is the same error-ridden article that is being posted everywhere. I saw this feature demoed at the Google Developer Day last week, then met briefly with a few Google employees to ask some questions.

Some clarifications:

-- This will only show up on implementations of the Maps API on your own site. Contrary to the article, it will NOT work in Mapplets applications. When I asked Google when that would happen, they said "eventually -- maybe". Certainly no time soon.
-- FTA: "...not set a time frame for when the feature will be ready to go public". We were told it would go live sometime in June.
-- "users" can't turn this feature off - only developers. If you put it on your site, it'll be active on your site. If not, it won't. Their use of the word "user" simply should have been "developer".
-- FTA: "...display those in a pop-up window when a push-pin graphic is passed over on Maps". Everyone keeps using the phrase "passed over". WTH? The word is "clicked". It works just like normal Maps icons, then like normal AdSense ads. They see an ad icon. They CLICK it to make the description bubble pop up. Inside of the bubble is an AdSense ad. They click the ad, and the site gets paid.

All that being said, it really will be a slick feature. I'm not sure how well it'll do in terms of revenue, but I'll certainly try it on my sites.

To add it, you'll just need to add three lines of JavaScript:

1 - With your publisher-id
2 - With the max number of ads to show on a map (default=3, I think)
3 - Start it!

They demo didn't mention anything about channel usage, but when I asked the response was more or less "this is just a beta demo - of course we'll have channels". They didn't exactly say they would, but it was heavily implied.

Hope that helps.

Mickey

[mickmel]

Each marker infowindow could display an adsense ad besides the address and phone number of the plumber.

That's one thing, but this is another. Using your example, all of your plumber icons would be out there and then they'd add few EXTRA icons for related locations.

the question that remains to be answered is how to target an ad on such little infowindow content?

I asked them about this. They said, at least for now, the content of the ads would be based on the text on the PAGE itself, not on the actual map content. They were looking at ways to make it work better, but that's how it's gonna be when it first comes out.

[phranque]

mickmel:

Everyone keeps using the phrase "passed over". WTH? The word is "clicked". It works just like normal Maps icons, then like normal AdSense ads.

it depends on the application and the developer.
the google maps api supports mouseover events as well as click events...

[mickmel]

True, but that's not the case here. AFAIK, it's not something you can modify and it requires a click. I could be wrong, though.

[cvas]

mikmel,
some of the pages presenting maps have no content other than infowindows. If the infowindows are fed by an xml file there could be enough content to target adsense. Whatever the case might be I like the idea of adsense on maps.

[mickmel]

I know - I should have asked about that. All they said was that this first version would only target based on text around the map -- not text within the map.

I have no idea what it'll do on pages like that. We'll find out soon, I guess.

[phranque]

they were purposefully vague all day about how this would work.
i think they are waiting to be cool enough to spam before they commit to a direction.

may i be the first to coin MFAM?
(Made For Adsense site with google Maps)