• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, May 11, 2011

Behavioral targeting could take a new turn as more companies adopt the practice of customizing Web site content, from ads to editorial. Research firm eMarketer estimated 97% of advertisers and agencies will use some form of audience targeting in 2011, but Yakov Shabat, CEO and founder of Personyze, believes the concept of behavioral targeting will change as government agencies in the U.S. and across the world implement stricter standards to protect consumer privacy.

Israeli-based Personyze allows companies to personalize, segment and analyze entire Web sites in real time through a suite of tools launched this week. The platform aims to help companies target ads and content to consumers based on preferences, and click and search history, even pull in profile information from social sites such as Facebook.

Through the suite of software tools, which the company says analyzes more than 60 metrics, consumers see a personalized experience. Dynamic Web site content gets delivered in real-time based on the visitor's past activity on the site, online search history, Facebook preferences, location, and more.

Personyze does not offer retargeting, but it does integrate with Google's remarketing platform. The tool offers online tracking to measure the effectiveness of campaigns, email personalization, custom event tracking. It allows companies deploying the platform to serve up ads based on content and information in Facebook member profiles. The Web site visitor, however, must give permission to pull in the content, as well as publish messages back on their Facebook wall or the wall of their friends promoting products, special offers and services.

For instance, if Personyze identifies the site visitor as a woman with a family interested in cooking, it might serve up content with a background in a color most women prefer. The Web page would highlight in the top navigation bar content that might interest her, along with ads on the page, based on interests in cooking and family related travel. The insight is gained from previous visitors to the site when she clicked on and read family-travel-related articles, as well as information in her Facebook member profile she gave permission for other company platforms to access.

Personyze has been working with clients in Israel since 2008, but recently made its debut in the U.S. market. Shabat said lack of technology enabled small-and-medium-size companies to personalize their respective Web sites to visitors.