3 Ways in Which Google Targets Its Ads at You
You can hardly escape Google when they decide to bombard you with their advertisements. The fact that we are so vulnerable as far as our privacies are concerned makes it clear that nothing is hidden if certain authorities decide to keep a check on you. Google, being the most popular search engine which everyone uses to seek information off the internet, too does not take a step back when it comes to keeping a track on the things that you look up on the internet. What email you sent, what topics you search most, which websites you visit regularly and all such data which you would rather like to keep private are in fact at the disposal of Google and they use this data to send you related advertisements, whether you like it or not. How exactly does Google do this? Here are the major 3 ways in which Google targets its ads at you.
1. Contextual targeting
On the basis of the words you are using more frequently while emailing or searching for information online at a given point of time and using several other techniques like keyword analysis, link structure and font size, Google determines the kind of content you are accessing in real time, and sends related advertisements on those web pages when you visit them. You can see this also integrated in your Gmail account where you will find links to websites that might interest you. These links are targeted at you specifically by Google depending upon the emails you may have just sent or topics you just searched for.
2. Placement targeting
Placement targeting is primarily done on the basis of the type of websites than on what you specifically like. Depending upon the content of a website, Google posts advertisements on it which might interest users who would visit those websites. So unlike contextual targeting where only you can see a specific kind of an advertisement, in case of placement targeting, anybody visiting a specific website will be able to view related advertisements.
3. Interest-based targeting
In interest-based targeting, Google tracks down your interests rather than the content you are accessing to target advertisements at you. Unlike contextual targeting, where you would view related advertisements on a website you are visiting, interest-based targeting enables Google to target advertisements at you which would interest you specifically, irrespective of the content you are accessing or the emails you are sending. For instance, if you are a cooking enthusiast, you will get advertisements related to cooking and recipes and if you are a beautician and often visit beauty websites, you will get similar advertisements to pique your interests. Google also provides an Ads Settings facility in your Google account which enables you to specify what kind of advertisements you would like to see.
