The service, Interest Based Advertising, which launches today (11 March) in test form, tracks online users' behaviour through their browser cookies as they visit one of the sites that show ads through Google's AdSense program. AdSense is an ad application under which website owners can enable text, image and video ads on their websites.
In turn, the new service offers users relevant targeted ads based on their online activity. Sensitive information, such as religion, sexual orientation, pornography, medical issues and political agenda will be not be captured.
Google will assign users to categories based on their cookies. For example, a user may be labelled a sports enthusiast or potential property hunter.
Through Google's Ads Preferences Manager, users also will be able to tailor their ad preferences based on categories, to raise advertisers' and publishers' return on investment.
Google's foray into behavioural targeting marks the latest attempt to expand its display reach. Last year, it acquired display outfit DoubleClick.
Significantly, the service will opt-in all users: users will have to opt out of receiving any relevant ads, in line with the latest Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) online behavioural targeting guidelines.
Google's Adwords advertisers and publishers will be able to bid against ads placed across its content network, which reaches more than 75% of internet users in more than 100 countries.
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