Ask Jeeves Drops Banners For Sponsored Searches

Online search engine Ask Jeeves has announced that it is to ban banner ads on its US site and will instead rely on sponsored searches for revenue.

The move follows Ask Jeeves’ decision to ban pop-up ads and interstitials earlier last year. Steve Berkowitz, president of Ask Jeeves web properties, reassured advertisers: “Though we’re removing barriers from

However, Ask Jeeves UK has declared it will not be removing banner ads from its UK sites. Chris Babayode, vice president of sales and business development at Ask Jeeves UK, declared: “The dropping of banners in the United States is not being followed here in the United Kingdom. In the UK, we do what is right for our UK business and for our consumers taking into account regional and cultural differences.”

Other websites such as Freeserve and AltaVista reduced the number of pop-up ads on their sites in a bid to increase usage earlier last year (see Freeserve And Alta Vista Cut Back On Pop-Ups). However, Ask Jeeves is the first premier search engine to ban pop up ads and banner ads outright.

According to Ask Jeeves, the decision emphasises the site’s commitment to provide a user-friendly experience for consumers. It also reflects the companies increasing reliance on search targeted marketing for ad revenues.

Search targeted marketing has become an increasingly popular method of online advertising and is generally accepted to be less intrusive than traditional pop-up or banner ads.

The increasing dominance of search targeted marketing in internet advertising was highlighted last year by the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) which appointed ten new board members, including sales executives from internet search companies Google and BTLookSmart (see IAB Board Reflects Growth In Search-Targeted Marketing).

Ask Jeeves: 020 7400 2222 www.ask.com

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