SIliconValleyWatcher has the scoop: Google is opening up API support for AdWords. This is a big deal (I hope) in that it lets new ecologies of AdWord-based plays begin to thrive – ideally, this will extend to AdSense, and let publishers start to actually help Google make AdSense work well enough to provide more than just beer money. (Gary Stein notes that Rich at Topix is doing some work along those lines via a premium program).
From the coverage:
The release of the API marks a transition for Google, from an online services company towards that of an IT platform for global ad delivery. The types of sophisticated management tools that will be available from Google and third parties should also help tie advertisers into its ad network.
And I got excited about the cross-site ad tracking…
This could really be powerful when we finally get the chance to see it…
I love the idea of an AdWords API, which has existed for a long time for big spenders as far as I know. Opening it up for all allows you to integrate it into your internal system and make more volume over AdWords. Some big players will likely get in there now.
But for AdSense it will likely not work. People could hack an API and just put textlinks on the site without the possibility for Google to track them (adimpression wise). They can’t do that though because it removes the power of their optimization algorythm. What they will need to do is allow some kind of CSS design capability or something so you can tailor your ads to the size you need. That is something that is missing at the moment.
Another option would be to allow you to feed the Google Bot (MediaPartners one) with a different page than the user saw. This allows them to get a great number of more ads in the system for hidden pages. I have loads of ideas in that respect. You can add a lot of cool content to Google’s AdSense system.
Don’t know what all the hubbub is about – Overture’s had an API for much longer, and frankly I think that people rhapsodizing about what Google’s API will do to transform the lives of the digerati smacks of self-indulgence.
Seems that there’s a class of people who ascribe super-natural powers and strategic meanings to whatever Google does, but if a mere mortal company does the same thing months or even years earlier, they get no respect for having done so.
The premium program is Google Hints. It allows you to pass along keywords to Google to help them in contextualizing the ads they return. They still spider your site and apply their traditional contextualization algorithms and you aren’t guarunteed that they will use your hints; so basically, this is not keyword-based ads. This does, however, offer the content provider flexibility in how ads could be displayed “out of context”. It also allows search engines to utilize Adsense in a way that was previously less reliable. We’ve been using the program as well, and although it’s too early to make any conclusive statements, overall performance has improved.
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