Developer(s) | |
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Initial release | October 23, 2000 |
Type | Online advertising |
Website | adwords |
Google AdWords is an online advertising service, developed by Google, where advertisers pay to display brief advertising copy to web users. Google AdWords' system is based partly on cookies and partly on keywords determined by advertisers. Google uses these characteristics to place advertising copy on pages where it might be expected to be relevant. Advertisers pay when users divert their browsing to click on the advertising copy. Partner websites receive a portion of the generated income.
AdWords has evolved into Google's main source of revenue, contributing to Google's total advertising revenues of USD $43.7 billion in 2012. AdWords offers services such as pay-per-click (PPC) advertising and cost-per-acquisition (CPA) advertising.
The AdWords program includes local, national, and international distribution. Google's text advertisements are short, consisting of one headline with a maximum of 30 characters, two text lines of 35 characters each, and a display URL of 40 characters. These mimic what the average search result looks like on Google. Image ads can be one of the several different standardized sizes as designated by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB). In May 2016, Google announced its reformatting of ads to help consumers and advertisers succeed in a mobile-first world. The new format, called Expanded Text Ads, allows for 23% more text. This new format is available on both the Google Search Network and the Google Display network. It features two headlines with 30 characters each, replacing the standard of a single headline with 30 characters. The display URL has been replaced with two 15 character paths, not including the root domain.
Sales and support for Google's AdWords division in the United States are based in Mountain View, California, with major secondary offices in Hyderabad, Dublin, Singapore, Ann Arbor and New York City. The third-largest US facility is the headquarters, located in Mountain View, California. Google AdWords engineering is based at the headquarters, with major secondary offices in Los Angeles and New York.