Google Graduates AdWords Tablet Targeting

In a world where increasing numbers of users are accessing the web on the go, mobile targeting is more than sensible: it's mandatory. Refining mobile ad targeting further, Google has graduates their AdWords tablet targeting feature.

Details of Tablet Targeting
We previously discussed tablet targeting when it was first demonstrated and released for testing back in May. Now those features, including all the micro-targeting contained within, are available to any AdWords account user.

To enable tablet targeting for a campaign, or to target a campaign only to tablets, visit the "Networks and Devices" section of the campaign settings. You'll see a new check-box labeled as "Tablets with full browsers." You can select this box exclusively or as part of several targeting options, and can further specify which tablet operating systems and mobile carriers you want to display to through the "Advanced mobile and tablet options" menu.

Users could previously target the iPad as one of several mobile options, but as tablets come into their own, the need for broader support and detailed specifications has become apparent. This feature graduation addresses that.

Further Foreshadowing of the Tablet Empire
Right now the iPad provides about 97 percent of all tablet-based traffic in the U.S., but despite its small market share, Android OS tablets are continuing to sell effectively. That's thanks to the growth of tablets overall; as the Google Mobile Ads blog entry announcing the graduation of tablet targeting tells us, there are "more than 165 million tablets expected to ship over the next two years."

Tablets are largely being used to browse the web, and especially news stories. Reading standard books via tablet has also exploded, leading some to predict the demise of the ereader by 2015. In any case, it's a sure thing that tablet traffic is growing, with tablets acting as the source of as much as 10 percent of all web traffic.

"We believe that the strong growth of tablet adoption and usage will provide significant opportunity for marketers to connect with consumers in more powerful and relevant ways," said Surojit Chatterjee, Google's Product Manager of Mobile Ads. This tablet-oriented initiative for advertisements is likely to be just the first of many tablet innovations from Google and the technology industry as a whole.