Google says it is channeling research time and corporate dollars into an advertising system that no longer relies on keywords.
The search giant was vague on what could replace or supplement the use of keywords in its flagship AdWords programs.
“Keywords work very, very well, but we think we can do better,” says Google's Nicholas Fox
But it said it is looking for alternatives to the keywords that sit at the foundation of its money-minting advertising efforts.
“Keywords work very, very well, but we think we can do better,” Product Management Director Nicholas Fox said Wednesday at the Search Engine Strategies conference.
He said one alternative is to rely on the advertiser’s “content” instead of keywords to target ads. He also pointed to the conversion optimizer Google recently released for AdWords that looks at site content, consumer location and the nature of a search query to better slot ads.
The product just recently reached a $1 billion annual sales pace, he said, and can bring a 21 percent improvement in ad conversion rates.
The goal is generate online ads that more relevant to users and valuable to advertisers, said Fox.
He delivered a keynote address at the SES event.
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