What you see is your invention

Yahoo has officially unveiled its behavior-targeting SmartAds, reports Search Engine Land.

SmartAds combine a variety of factors to deliver a super-relevant ad to the user. Behavioral tracking analyzes the user's location and other information on one side the interface.

On the other is the dynamic assembly of material provided by the advertiser. They may upload various backgrounds, text and other individual components. Those components are then assembled on the fly to create endless variations on the same ad that can be targeted to individuals rather than groups.

Yahoo is hoping this customization and targeting combination will lift its status as a mere display ad server. The ads were tested on Yahoo Travel and reportedly performed two to three times better than other display ads.

Behavioral advertising has become a topic of heated discussion, even as firms like Google, Microsoft and AOL. While some look at it as a gross breach of privacy, others - particularly advertisers - perceive it as a way on improving their services to provide customers with more tailored options. This can be considered a means to improve the online user experience.

Behavioral targeting is also expected to be one of the defining characteristics of web 3.0, or the Semantic Web.