Google Ads (formerly known as Google AdWords) is an online advertising platform developed by Google in the year 2000. The platform allows businesses and individuals to create and display ads on Google's search engine results pages (SERPs), as well as on Google's Display Network, which includes millions of websites and mobile apps.
Here is a brief history of Google Ads:
1. 2000: Google Ads launched as an online advertising platform, offering text-based ads that appeared alongside search results.
2. 2003: Google launched AdSense, a program that allowed website owners to display Google Ads on their sites and earn money from clicks.
3. 2005: Google introduced Quality Score, a metric that measures the relevance and quality of ads, keywords, and landing pages.
4. 2007: Google acquired DoubleClick, a company that provided ad management and ad serving solutions for online advertisers and publishers.
5. 2008: Google launched Google Insights for Search, a tool that provides keyword search volume data.
6. 2010: Google introduced AdWords Express, a simplified version of AdWords designed for small businesses.
7. 2011: Google launched the Google Display Network, which allowed advertisers to display ads on websites and mobile apps.
8. 2012: Google introduced Enhanced Campaigns, a feature that allowed advertisers to manage bids for desktop and mobile devices together in a single campaign.
9. 2013: Google launched Google AdWords Certification, a program that offers certification to individuals who pass an exam in AdWords proficiency.
10. 2015: Google introduced Universal App Campaigns, a feature that allows advertisers to promote their mobile apps across Google's search, display, and YouTube networks.
11. 2016: Google announced that it would be removing right-side ads from desktop search results and increasing the number of ads displayed above and below search results.
12. 2018: Google rebranded AdWords as Google Ads and introduced Smart Campaigns, a feature that uses machine learning to automatically create and manage ads for small businesses.
13. 2019: Google introduced Gallery Ads, a format that allows advertisers to display a carousel of images at the top of search results.
14. 2020: Google announced that it would be phasing out third-party cookies from Chrome by 2022, in an effort to improve user privacy.
Today, Google Ads remains one of the most popular and effective online advertising platforms, with billions of ad impressions served each day across a wide range of industries and markets.
