• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, October 11, 2011

Ad clicks cannot provide the correct data to optimize content on Web site pages. [x+1] on Wednesday will release Media Aware Home Pages. The tool relies on the act of serving up display ads to optimize and personalize the brand's Web site content. The tool, which collects and analyzes data without a click on the ad unit, took three months to develop. 

Media Aware Home Pages identifies served advertisements, collecting data on creative copy, publishing site or URL, date, and time. The data comes from browser or ad tags. It's a tracking pixel that anonymously allows companies to collect data. If an advertiser runs four ads, the platform can identify the ad and the browser. The process occurs in milliseconds automatically, eliminating manual creation of landing pages by marketers.

Data supports the ability for Media Aware Home Pages to predict the best content on Web pages. Toby Korner, vice president of client solutions for [x+1], calls the tool part of a "digital marketing hub." He claims the tool helps marketers to avoid a reliance on poor click-through rates for online ads, which average between 0.2% and 0.3%. "The platform expands on the amount of textual information," he said. "It really provides a link between our media demand-side platform and site optimization."

The platform does not scrape the page for keywords on the page where the ad appears, Korner said. Increasing conversion rates comes down to having the correct messaging on a Web page. But data is worthless unless marketing can act on it correctly, he said.

[x+1]'s Predictive Optimization Engine uses mathematical models to determine the message for the Web page based on the user's previous site and ad exposure. Companies without a diverse customer base would not have a need for a platform that personalizes Web sites. Those with a broad customer base can help marketers make that connection with site visitors.