Google announces DoubleClick for Publishers

Posted by Savita Sauvin on February 26, 2010 at 12:29 PM

In an effort to maximise revenue on display ads for online publishers, Google this week announced the launch of an upgraded and rebranded ad-serving platform, DoubleClick for Publishers (DFP), TechCrunch reported.

Google plans to consolidate all its ad serving products for display ads under the DoubleClick banner, by transforming the former Google Ad Manager into a "feeder system" for DoubleClick for Publishers (formerly called DART). Along with rebranding, the DoubleClick platform also has features, including a new dashboard to manage the ads served on a publisher's Web site, improved ad-serving algorithms, and a new set of APIs.

"Google wants to help online publishers make the most money possible from their content. The upgraded DFP is part of our suite of products that are designed to help online publishers maximize their advertising revenues. Ad serving is the machinery that powers the online advertising world, so improving that technology can put a lot of money in publishers' pockets. This upgraded platform is another major milestone in our continuing investment in the display advertising ecosystem," Neal Mohan, vice president of product management at Google said in a press release.

Two types of DoubleClick for Publishers will be available to cater to different publisher needs: DFP for major online publishers that include social networking sites, online communities, entertainment, e-commerce and news sites, and DFP Small Business, a simple, free version designed for growing online publishers. However, the current DFP (former DART) will be upgraded over the next year with continual addition of new features and modules, but Google Ad Manager customers will be moved to DFP Small Business in the forthcoming weeks according to the Google Blog. Details on the new feature additions to DFP are available on the DoubleClick blog and DFP Web site.

Google's acquired DoubleClick in March 2008 for US$3.1 billion, and doing away with DoubleClick DART and the Google Ad Manager brand is the latest step by the search giant to building its display business, according to paidContent.

Mohan told paidContent in an interview that Google is looking to attract developers' tools to its display advertising. Besides the open API, Mohan said the redesigned user interface will facilitate faster access and lead to less processing errors, while providing detail forecasts and reports.

As display ad revenues are expected to soar this year and reverse last year's decline, Google's announcement will have a direct impact on start-ups like Rubicons' upgraded display ad management system, and PubMatic, whose core business is built on helping publishers sell their inventory to multiple ad networks, All Things Digital reported.