Are ads affected by search term or just content?

[vero]

Are the ads delivered on a page influenced at all by the search term that may have led someone to the page (assuming it was a Google search)? Or is it strictly by content?

For example, if the page has content on red widgets and green widgets, but someone landed on the page after they searched specifically for red widgets, would the ads be more likely to focus on red widgets?

[jetteroheller]

Ads are assumed to be influenced

* content
* URL of page
* geograpic location
* referer (this includes the search term)
* history of visitor

[jimbeetle]

referer (this includes the search term)

Are you sure about that? When talking with an AdSense engineer a few years ago he said that -- at that time at least -- the search term was not taken into account. I haven't seen anything on it since or anything that hints the search term is being used.

[jetteroheller]

I think it would be logical.

There are different motivations to visit the same page.

The referer is a valuable hint for the motiviation.

It's a difference between somebody searching

"cheap solution for....."
"renewable solution for...."
"environment friendly solution for...."

[davec]

It may well be logical, and indeed probably a good idea but is there any evidence for it or is it just speculation?

[jetteroheller]

There is no evidence, but I did also make no tests to find it out.

[londrum]

whenever i put a new page up, i have a look at the ad and it's generally just a generic one that relates to my site as a whole. it's not for a couple of days that the ad will narrow down to what the page is actually about.

so i think the overall content of your site has a lot to do with it as well, especially if the page is new.

[jimbeetle]

I think it would be logical.

Yeah, I thought it would be logical, too, that's why I asked the engineer. It appears to be a solid idea to get more targeted ads, but somewhere, somehow, it just doesn't seem to be a factor.

[RockStar82]

" * history of visitor "

So that mean google uses behavioral targeting? I got an ad for a product I often read about, on a totally unrelated site. Does anyone have more info about this?

[soona99]

Lately I've noticed wrinkle cream ads on my travel related site so yes I believe the history of the visitor must account for something. Either that or google is trying to tell me in a nice way that I'm getting older!

[farmboy]

Does the name of a channel affect the subject of ads on a page?

FarmBoy

[pavlovapete]

How much of Doubleclick has been integrated into Google advertising? Didn't they have "behavioural targeting/ retargeting" technology?

Using the search term referrer would indeed be a great idea. I've seen systems that are using this to target display advertising. Not sure if Adsense uses it though.