Audiences and data
Contextual targeting
Updated
Contextual targeting places ads next to content on a related topic, based on the page rather than the person reading it. Google describes it as matching ads to sites using keywords or topics the advertiser chooses. Context alone is not native advertising. The ASA (dated 23 Oct 2026) says native advertising goes beyond a car ad next to a motoring article.
Example: a ski tour operator's ad appears beside articles about winter sports. The limit is timing, since a reader of a ski article may have booked this season already.
Related: intent data · native advertising · first-party data