IAB launches search centre for advertisers

by Ann-Marie Corvin, Media Week 03-Jul-08, 11:03

LONDON - The Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) has brought together Google, Microsoft and Yahoo to collaborate on a new initiative to advise advertisers on search engine marketing.

The IAB Search Council’s Search Help Centre has been set up to offer guidance and increased transparency around search engines’ sales practices and policies.

According to Jack Wallington, chair of IAB’s Search Council, the move is in response to recent changes in the way search engines trade.

It used to be illegal, for instance, for an advertiser to bid to have a search ad placed next to a competitor’s, but since 5 May, it has become possible to do this on Google, and the help centre hopes to make policies like this clear.

“The help centre aims to provide advertisers with regularly updated information on issues such as campaign intellectual property rights, trademarks and privacy,” said Wallington.

Other issues the help centre hopes to highlight include information about campaign keyword lists, the protection of advertisers’ campaign histories when moving from one search agency to the other, and click costs, so that advertisers can make more informed decisions when signing contracts.

The IAB will take industry feedback about the resource until 31 July.

IAB chief executive Guy Phillipson said: “To see major players in the industry collaborating like this has empowered the IAB to produce an invaluable help centre for advertisers.”