Content
- What is behavioral targeting?
- Why is behavioral targeting needed?
- How does behavioral targeting work?
- Types of behavioral targeting
- Limitations of behavioral targeting
What is behavioral targeting?
Behavioral targeting is a modern technology that allows advertising to be shown to users based on their actions and interests online. This methodology aims to provide maximum relevance of advertising offers, making them more suitable for a specific user. With behavioral targeting, users see advertisements for products and services that match their needs and preferences.
Why is behavioral targeting needed?
Behavioral targeting addresses several key tasks, including:
- Ad personalization: Each user receives the most relevant offers, which increases conversion rates.
- Cost optimization: Ads are shown only to interested users, which helps reduce expenses.
- Expanding the reach of the target audience: Targeting works across all platforms, helping to "catch up" with users with relevant offers.
For example, if you are searching for information about the price of an apartment in Moscow, you may notice that ads for apartment sales or mortgage offers start appearing on websites. This happens because systems analyze your actions and instantly adapt advertising offers, creating a "retargeting" effect.
How does behavioral targeting work?
The main principle of behavioral targeting is the collection and analysis of data about users' behavior online. Information about user actions comes from various sources, such as social networks and analytics systems. Technologies such as cookies and tracking pixels, as well as GPS data in mobile applications, are used for this purpose.
The dynamism of behavioral targeting lies in the fact that user preferences can change, and advertising adapts to these changes in real-time. Data is transmitted in an encrypted format, ensuring the protection of users' personal information.
Types of behavioral targeting
There are two main types of behavioral targeting:
- On-site targeting: User data is collected on a specific website using analytics systems like Google Analytics. The website owner sees which pages are the most popular and sets up advertising for users based on this.
- Network targeting: Data is collected from various platforms, allowing advertising networks to track users' actions across different sites using IP addresses and cookies.
For example, a chain of beauty salons might use geolocation to show users special offers based on their location, enhancing the relevance of advertising and improving customer interaction.
Limitations of behavioral targeting
Despite its effectiveness, behavioral targeting faces a number of limitations, the main one being the violation of users' privacy. The collection of data raises concerns for many, leading to the installation of ad-blocking software and cookie cleaning.
In response to user dissatisfaction, many browsers have started blocking third-party cookies. This leads to uncertainty about the future of behavioral targeting, as the effectiveness of this technology may significantly decrease without the ability to track user behavior.