Google AdSense Advertisements Blow Up

The behemoth advertising network now offers ads that expand to offer more visual footprint.

Advertisers that demand more than a tiny banner or box for their messages will finally be able to get it through Google. On Wednesday, Google announced that it would begin serving expandable ads through its AdSense network.

Unlike pop-ups, expandable ads open on top of an existing page, not in a separate window, and Google has placed some important restrictions on their actions to limit the annoyance factor. They can’t be set to open on a hover, for instance, to limit accidental expansions, and they can’t get any bigger than double existing dimensions.

Sites hosting the ads will continue to generate revenue on their choice of either a cost-per-click or cost-per-impression basis, though expanding an ad will not count as a click for the former measurement method.

The greater real-estate of expandable ads will open the door for greater multimedia options, including the ability stream a movie trailer, show video game clips, or display various views of an item for sale.