Have you ever wondered what make the ads you see on the web more interesting, well Google uses your personal and social sentiment to help determine which ads to show you.

Google uses your Google account information, such as items you +1′d on Google websites and across the web, to personalize content and ads on non-Google websites.

How it works ?

Many websites, such as news sites and blogs, partners with Google to show ads to their visitors. Your interests are associated with an advertising cookie that’s stored in your browser. Google actually gives users the ability to edit/correct the personal information stored in the cookie Google has about you.

Simply go to: Google Ads settings page and Google will tell you what it knows about you, and it gives you the option of changing it if you like.

Here’s what they think about me: [screen shot]

It’s actually pretty accurate,  so i do know the ads i expect to see.

Google is Watching and Measuring Your Search History

Google also uses your actual search history to determine what ads to show to you. This is most apparent on the Google Display Network, where you are likely retargeted to no end after visiting an advertiser’s web site.

In search, Google uses “session-based ads” to show ads to you for products that are totally unrelated to your current search, but might have been something you searched on in recent memory.

Recently, i have been working on a couple of e-commerce websites and kept pondering whether 2012 will be the year e-commerce, due to its increased enquires from prospective clients. Despite its increased popularity, stats as shown that only four percent of visits to retail websites result in a completed shopping session.

Personally, i feel TRUST has always been an issue when it comes to online transactions most especially in developing countries where internet users would rather socialise than purchase online. It is interesting to note that few startups are interested in finding a solution to online retail problems.

As a marketer, it is important to understand social consumers in terms of behavioural patterns. In a recent survey, 1,500 participants were asked about products and services they recently researched online and how they went about it. According to data from M Booth and Beyond, different product categories compel people to seek information and reviews from different sources on the web. Consumers tend to go the company website for electronics, they rely on search for travel and they go to discussion forums to see what people think about different car models.

The top five influential online channels include search results, brand websites,news articles, product review sites, online ads respectively.

The infographic below explains where consumers go for product information — suggesting to marketers that some aspects of digital marketing deserve more attention than others. As a consumer, what influences you to buy online?

Infographic courtesy of M Booth and Beyond