Google Launches Ad Manager

Search engine colosus Google announced on Thursday it has run a soft launch of Google Ad Manager, a tool that allows publishers to manage ad assignment on their websites.

Google Ad Manager enables users to incorporate their ad codes to the application, and subsequently consign the Ad Manager generated code on their sites. The software is capable of tracking page views and CTR, record statistics, and geotarget or other break downs on each unit. The software additionally supports locally sold ads, in addition to direct sale advertising.

A further distinctive feature of the software is its capability to offer Adsense units for fallback and remnant site catalog. Google Ad Manager also supports graphical display, video and text ads.

The service will compete with OpenX, which was formerly called Openads, and prior to that, phpadsnew. The well-liked adserver solution boasts 30,000 publishers using the software on 100,000 sites in 140 different countries and in 20 languages.

OpenX is placed to launch a hosted solution later this year. But regardless of its $5 million backing, OpenX will find it tricky to compete with Ad Manager when it officially launches, based on Google’s consistent track record.