• by Laurie Sullivan , April 20, 2009

Google unveils today its DoubleClick Network Builder, which allows publishers to build out and operate a partners' ad network.

The product, which sits on the DART for Publishers platform, launched in private beta with 10 companies in late October. It aims to support a growing trend for publishers in the online ad industry.

It has become a challenge to grab the attention of consumers as more hop from Facebook to YouTube to Twitter looking for news, reviews and video clips. While advertisers view the uptick in online traffic as good for business, the fact that consumers now share their time among many more Web sites across the Internet creates a challenge. Finding ways for publishers to remain competitive means partnering with smaller Web sites that can help broadcast brand messages. But that creates other issues, too.

Real Girls Media, a group of social communities connecting millions of women online, is one of DoubleClick's test customers. The network, owned in part by Meredith, has begun to partner with between 30 and 40 smaller sites to tap into a direct sales force and sell content, according to Rany Ng, senior product manager for DoubleClick. The idea is to provide a "one-stop shop for advertisers" -- especially for those in vertical markets such as entertainment or finance, she said.

DoubleClick Network Builder provides publishers insight into inventory, forecasting, sales and reporting, and integrates with optimization tools. The application has a tool that focuses on financial revenue reporting and partner payments. Ng said DoubleClick chose to automate this feature because publishers typically rely on spreadsheets to work through complex financial terms, as well as adjusting billing discrepancies.

Most applications typically lack a "rules engine" that can automate the process. Having access to the data allows publishers to optimize the network and manage hundreds of partner sites. "We have had beta customers tell us it takes two full days at the end of the month to figure out revenue that's being generated, aggregate reports, send them to partners and determine how much to pay them," Ng said.

One beta customer who has been using the product for the last few months told Ng that what once took two days to accomplish now takes two hours because they log into the system and download the reports.

DoubleClick also built a Web portal into Network Builder that gives publishers' clients access to the data. Some of the data shared through the "partner's portal" includes effective cost per thousands, line-items data or a sample of the report with impressions, clicks and revenue numbers. As part of the portal, the partner can pick up an ad tag to place on their Web site. The ad tag let publishers define and target specific campaigns.