Yesterday, we announced several exciting new additions to Google+, including open signups. We’d like to announce one more addition for our DoubleClick Ad Exchange publishers, +1 on display ads from AdWords.

Starting in October, the +1 button and social annotations will begin to appear on display ads from AdWords that win in the Ad Exchange auction. With a single click, people will now be able to endorse specific ads and make them more likely to appear to their social connections. We believe that these recommendations could lead your audience to notice ads on your site more, leading to more clicks and higher returns for you over time.

For example, take Susan, who sees an ad for a good deal on flights. She +1’s the ad, thinking her friends might value this deal. Now, when Susan’s friends and contacts are signed in to their Google accounts, they’ll be able to see Susan’s picture across the bottom of the ad, with a note saying she +1’d it.


The +1 button and recommendations will appear at the bottom of display ads.

Susan’s friends and contacts will also be more likely to see the ad. While the dynamics of the AdWords and Ad Exchange auctions aren’t changing, the +1’d ad will now be included in AdWord’s bid on the Ad Exchange for the pages Susan’s friends visit, as we know that recommendations from friends can be a strong signal of an ad’s relevance.

All eligible ads from AdWords and other networks will continue to compete in the ad exchange auction, and we’ll continue to show the ones that have the highest CPM. +1 button clicks are not counted as clicks on ads. Although you won’t receive any revenue for +1 button clicks, +1’s will help Ad Exchange to deliver more useful AdWords ads to your users.



On mobile, the +1 button will replace the existing ‘g’ logo and recommendations will appear for several seconds, then fade out.

If you’d prefer not to see the +1 button on ads that AdWords delivers, you can opt out by contacting your account manager.

Display ads become much more powerful when people can see which of their social connections have chosen to endorse them, leading to a better advertising experience and higher returns for you.

If you’d like to learn more about the +1 button on AdWords display ads served via the DoubleClick Ad Exchange, please visit the Ad Exchange Help Center.

Posted by Christian Oestlien, Product Manager