(Press Release)

VNU to Show Relevant Google AdWords Ads across Network of Business Publications

NEW YORK & MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – February 15, 2005 – VNU, a leading global information and media company, and Google Inc. today announced the availability of Google AdWords advertisements on the websites of all of VNU U.S. and European business-to-business publications. The deal is VNU’s first major joint US-European web partnership, featuring U.S. brands such as Adweek, The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard, National Jeweler, Progressive Grocer, and Successful Meetings and leading European titles like Computing, Accountancy Age, Computable, IT Week. As part of the agreement, Google's targeted, text-based ads will appear on VNU’s global network of professional websites through the Google AdSense program.

"Google’s huge collection of advertisers offers the depth necessary to provide relevant ads that match the industry-specific content of VNU’s titles," said Mike Marchesano, President and CEO of Business Media U.S. and Ruud Bakker, President and CEO of Business Media Europe in a joint statement. They added, "It is a benefit to our business readers to receive additional information pertinent to what they are reading."

VNU’s business-to-business titles in the entertainment, media & marketing, technology and finance, retail, travel, performance, real estate and design, and food service and beverage industries now show Google’s targeted ads throughout their respective websites. The revenue from clicks on these ads is shared between VNU and Google.

"VNU’s quality business content provides another excellent distribution channel for our business-to-business advertisers," said Joan Braddi, vice president of Search Services. “Google continues to collaborate and innovate to bring business-to-business users, publishers and advertisers together.”

Google has just released a new version of its toolbar: version 3.0.119.6. It is available .

Here are the 3 new features:

• AutoLink : One click on this button turns street addresses into links to online maps (only addresses in the US), using Google Maps. AutoLink can also link package tracking numbers to delivery status, VIN numbers (US) to vehicle history, and publication ISBN numbers to Amazon.com listings.
• WordTranslator : Just hover your mouse cursor over an English word and Toolbar's WordTranslator will tell you what it means in your own language. WordTranslator currently supports translation from English into Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), Japanese, Korean, French, Italian, German and Spanish.
• SpellCheck : Google Toolbar's new SpellCheck button finds any spelling mistakes whenever you type into a web form, including web-based email, discussion forums, and even intranet web applications. The AutoFix option even corrects all of your text with a single click.

The toolbar's design has been slightly enhanced.

BUT... There is still something that Google still hasn't done: a Firefox version! I hope that the recent Yahoo! toolbar for Firefox will make Google develop a Google toolbar for Firefox.

Large blog coverage:

• SEO News
• WebmasterWorld
• SEOBook
• SEW Blog
• Search Engine Roundtable
• John Batelle
• Jeroenr's Repository
• Google Blogoscoped

French discussion: Google toolbar version 3.