Many social media users, such as Instagram, often find ads after searching for a product on Google. They think this happened because there was one service that peeked at their search results. But is that really what happened?
Google Search Liaison Danny Sullivan said it wasn't because Google was listening or peeking at users' search results. He even often experienced the same thing.
"Of course not because we listen to you. No one is listening to display something like that, I promise," said Sullivan in a virtual discussion about Google Search, Wednesday (8/9/2021).
Sullivan said he didn't know what was going on on Instagram so he was just giving general answers. He explained that this might happen because when users search for information about a product on Google, they click on a website page through an ad at the top of the search.
If a user enters a website from an ad, the advertiser will be able to understand what the user is looking for. Then advertisers can use that information to do what is known as retargeting or remarketing.
"But that can also happen if you're not looking for anything and it's not related to the search. You might come to a website about barbecue grills and that website is part of an ad network," Sullivan explained.
"And just because you go there directly, the website understands that you're interested in something like this. And you can see the ads that may appear and other things."
According to Sullivan, another possibility is that when users are opening social media, they open a website belonging to a business. It could be that there is information that connects the user when opening the website to the ad network.
Sullivan said this was just a basic explanation he understood as he didn't work in Google's advertising department or even understand the ins and outs of advertising on Instagram.
But he stressed that ads like this appear not because Google provides advertisers with information such as profiles, non-advertising pages clicked, or search history.
"We don't share your search history with anyone. It's not something we can give to advertisers," said Sullivan.
"But if you click on a specific ad, the advertiser will understand that specific thing because you interact with their ad, as if you were on a website," he concluded.
