Ad placements can vary depending on the audience you’re targeting and the content that appears on the website. This highlights a major difference between behavioural and contextual targeting. You should have a clear understanding of both these terms to initiate them properly. Therefore, use and leverage them to achieve the best campaign performance results.
Differences Between Behavioural and Contextual Targeting
- Use of Cookies
Behavioural targeting, leverages website cookies putting an effect on the evolving privacy regulations concerning the use of cookies. In contrast, contextual targeting is not subject to any privacy regulations as it does not include the use of cookies.
- Focus Elements
Behavioural targeting focuses on the ad placement depending on which user is visiting the website. Therefore, it relies on working on hard, historical data of the user’s search history. On the other side, contextual will focus more on the type of context on the website rather than who is visiting the site.
- Limitations
When you concentrate more on the user, then it limits control over the website appearing in your ads. In comparison, if you focus more on aligning your ad with what your users are searching for, it will allow advertising by retaining your reputation as well.
- Relevancy
Paying attention to the user’s historical or past data may not always be beneficial for planning advertising campaigns. Looking at the other side, contextual ads are quite relevant in comparison to them. This is because it emphasizes what a user is watching, reading, and typing on the internet.
Final Thoughts
If you wonder which targeting method to choose between behavioural and contextual targeting, then the right answer is to choose both of them. Furthermore, understand their differences comprehensively and take the most of them equally. Remember to strike a balance between the two of them so that you can make a well—rounded strategy.
