Glossary/Audience data/Behavioral targeting
What is behavioral targeting in advertising?
How behavioral targeting works, how it compares with contextual targeting, and how publishers use their own data to offer it with consent.
Written by Samhub with the help of AI·Updated 13 Oct 2026·3 min readBehavioral targeting shows ads to people based on what they have done before, such as the articles they read, the sections they visit or the actions they take.
How it works
Collect behavior
Visits and reading patterns are recorded with consent.
Build interests
Repeated behavior places a reader in segments such as travel or personal finance.
Target the ad
Buyers choose the segments, and ads are shown to those readers on any page.
Behavioral vs contextual targeting
| Behavioral | Contextual | |
|---|---|---|
| Based on | The reader’s past behavior | The page being read now |
| Needs consent and IDs | Yes | No personal data needed |
| Reach | Recognized readers | All traffic |
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Behavioral targeting on first-party data
Third-party behavioral data is fading with cookies. Publishers who build segments from their own readers, with consent, can offer buyers something they cannot get elsewhere, and combine it with contextual targeting for the rest of the traffic.
Addressability at Stampen Media after moving its reader data into one layer with Samhub.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, with a legal basis, usually consent, and clear information to readers.
They work best together. Behavioral reaches the right people, contextual reaches the right moment, and covers anonymous traffic.
A type of behavioral targeting that shows ads to people who already visited a specific site or product.
For publishers, from their own sites and apps. For buyers, often from data providers.
Related terms
Targeting ads based on the content of the page.
Collects and segments audience data for advertising.
Data you collect directly from your own readers.
Adding detail to the data you already have.
Ads based on inferred interests.
Grouping customers by shared traits.
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