Patent Publication Number: US-8543459-B2

Title: Targeting based on intent or presence

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation application of, and claims priority to, U.S. application Ser. No. 13/306,513, entitled TARGETING BASED ON INTENT OR PRESENCE, filed on Nov. 29, 2011. The disclosure of the foregoing application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     This specification relates to content management. 
     The Internet provides access to a wide variety of resources. For example, video and/or audio files, as well as web pages for particular subjects or particular news articles, are accessible over the Internet. Access to these resources presents opportunities for other content (e.g., advertisements) to be provided with the resources. For example, a web page can include slots in which content can be presented. These slots can be defined in the web page or defined for presentation with a web page, for example, along with search results. 
     Slots can be allocated to content sponsors through a reservation system or an auction. For example, content sponsors can provide bids specifying amounts that the sponsors are respectively willing to pay for presentation of their content. In turn, a reservation can be made or an auction can be performed, and the slots can be allocated to sponsors according, among other things, to their bids and/or the relevance of the sponsored content to content presented on a page hosting the slot or a request that is received for the sponsored content. 
     SUMMARY 
     In general, one innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented in methods that include a method for providing content. The method comprises: presenting a user interface to a campaign sponsor for customizing targeting information for a campaign including a user selectable control for specifying one or more targeting criteria, where at least one targeting criterion includes a presence of a user in a prescribed geographic location or an indication of an interest by a user in the prescribed geographic location; receiving a selection from the campaign sponsor of one or more targeting criteria to be associated with the campaign including a selection of one or both of user presence and interest; evaluating content delivery options for presenting content associated with the campaign including determining for a given content request whether a user is present or merely interested in a geographic location; and serving content from the campaign when a content item request satisfies the targeting criteria for the campaign. 
     These and other implementations can each optionally include one or more of the following features. Determining whether a user is present or merely interested in the geographic location can include evaluating one or more user signals. The user signals can include one or more of an IP address of a client device that submitted the content item request, a location-based signal available to the client device, one or more location-related terms associated with the content item request, a time that the content item request was submitted, a mode of the user, where the mode is selected from at work, home, or away, and location information describing a location that was presented in a map application viewport on the client device at the time the content item request was submitted. 
     In general, another aspect of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented in methods that include a method for serving content. The method comprises: enabling a content item sponsor to target content to users based on whether a content item request is associated with a user at a particular location or is associated with a user that has expressed an interest in the particular location, including enabling a content sponsor to exclude presentation of their content for at least one of these types of requests, where enabling includes receiving a presence/interest specification from the content item sponsor for a campaign; evaluating a received content item request to determine a likelihood that the user is at a given location; evaluating the received content item request to determine a likelihood that the user is merely interested in the given location but is not physically present at the given location; and providing content from a content sponsor in response to the received content item request only if targeting criteria for the campaign match the request including satisfying a presence/interest specification from a respective content item sponsor for the campaign. 
     These and other implementations can each optionally include one or more of the following features. Evaluating a received content item request can include determining a geographic location associated with the request. Determining the geographic location can be based on location based services. Determining the geographic location can be based on an IP address associated with the request. The likelihood that a user is at a given location can be expressed in terms of a probability. The probability can be above a first threshold. The likelihood that a user is merely interested in the given location can be expressed in terms of a probability. The probability can be above a second threshold. The method can include tracking details of how each content delivery by a content delivery service satisfied the content sponsor&#39;s presence/interest specification. The method can include, for each delivered content item, determining performance information for a respective content item for when the content item was provided based on the user being at a given location and when the content item was provided based on the user being interested in but not physically present at the given location. The performance information can include click through rate and conversion information. The method can include providing to the content sponsor a report that includes the tracked details and the performance information for a time interval. The report can include one or more controls which enable the content sponsor to optimize the campaign based on the performance information. The method can include automatically optimizing the campaign based on the performance information. Optimizing can include splitting the campaign into a first campaign with a first presence/interest specification corresponding to targeting users who are at a given location and a second campaign with a second presence/interest specification corresponding to targeting users who have expressed an interest in a given location. A first bid associated with the first campaign can be different than a second bid associated with the second campaign. Optimizing can include splitting a campaign into multiple campaigns based on location information. 
     In general, another aspect of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented in computer program products that include a computer program product tangibly embodied in a computer-readable storage device that comprises instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations. The operations include: presenting a user interface to a campaign sponsor for customizing targeting information for a campaign including a user selectable control for specifying one or more targeting criteria, where at least one targeting criterion includes a presence of a user in a prescribed geographic location or an indication of an interest by a user in the prescribed geographic location; receiving a selection from the campaign sponsor of one or more targeting criteria to be associated with the campaign including a selection of one or both of user presence and interest; evaluating content delivery options for presenting content associated with the campaign including determining for a given content request whether a user is present or merely interested in a geographic location; and serving content from the campaign when a content item request satisfies the targeting criteria for the campaign. 
     These and other implementations can each optionally include one or more of the following features. Determining whether a user is present or merely interested in the geographic location can include evaluating one or more user signals. The user signals can include one or more of an IP address of a client device that submitted the content item request, a location-based signal available to the client device, one or more location-related terms associated with the content item request, a time that the content item request was submitted, a mode of the user, where the mode is selected from at work, home, or away, and location information describing a location that was presented in a map application viewport on the client device at the time the content item request was submitted. Evaluating content delivery options can include receiving a request and evaluating whether the request is associated with a user at a location or merely interested in the location. Evaluating content delivery options can include evaluating a received content item request including determining a geographic location associated with the request. Determining the geographic location can be based on location based services. Determining the geographic location can be based on an IP address associated with the request. Evaluating content delivery options can include determining a likelihood that a user is at a given location in terms of a probability, where the probability is above a first threshold. Evaluating content delivery options can include determining a likelihood that a user is merely interested in a given location in terms of a probability, where the probability is above a second threshold. 
     In general, another aspect of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented in systems that include a system comprising a content delivery system and a campaign management user interface. The campaign management user interface can include a user selectable control for specifying one or more targeting criteria, where at least one targeting criterion includes a presence of a user in a prescribed geographic location or at least one targeting criterion includes an indication of an interest by a user in the prescribed geographic location. The campaign management user interface can be configured to receive a selection from a campaign sponsor of one or more targeting criteria to be associated with the campaign including a selection of one or both of user presence and interest. The content delivery system can be configured to: evaluate content delivery options for presenting content associated with the campaign including determining for a given content request whether a user is present or merely interested in a geographic location; and serve content from the campaign when a content item request satisfies the targeting criteria for the campaign. 
     These and other implementations can each optionally include one or more of the following features. Determining whether a user is present or merely interested in the geographic location can include evaluating one or more user signals. The user signals can include one or more of an IP address of a client device that submitted the content item request, a location-based signal available to the client device, one or more location-related terms associated with the content item request, a time that the content item request was submitted, a mode of the user, where the mode is selected from at work, home, or away, and location information describing a location that was presented in a map application viewport on the client device at the time the content item request was submitted. 
     Particular implementations may realize one or more of the following advantages. A campaign sponsor can be enabled to target content to users based on whether a content item request is associated with a user at a particular location or is associated with a user that has expressed an interest in the particular location. A campaign sponsor can receive a report that indicates which content items were served based on an associated user being at a given location and which content items were served based on an associated user being interested in the given location but not physically present at the given location. A content campaign can be automatically optimized based on tracked information which indicates, for multiple content item requests, whether respective content items were served based on the user associated with the request being at a given location or interested in but not physically present at the location. 
     The details of one or more implementations of the subject matter described in this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an example environment for providing content to a user. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates an example system for serving content. 
         FIGS. 3A-3C  illustrate example controls for specifying a presence/interest specification. 
         FIG. 4  is a flowchart of an example process for serving content. 
         FIG. 5  is a flowchart of an example process for providing content to a user. 
         FIG. 6  is a block diagram of computing devices that may be used to implement the systems and methods described in this document, as either a client or as a server or plurality of servers. 
     
    
    
     Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A user interface can be presented to a campaign sponsor for customizing targeting information for a campaign. The user interface can include a user selectable control for specifying one or more targeting criteria, where at least one targeting criterion includes a presence of a user in a prescribed geographic location or an indication of an interest by a user in the prescribed geographic location. A selection can be received from the campaign sponsor of one or more targeting criteria to be associated with the campaign including a selection of one or both of user presence or/and interest. In response to a received content request for a user, a content management system can determine whether the user is present or merely interested in a geographic location, and based on the determination, content from the campaign can be served when a content item request satisfies the targeting criteria for the campaign, including satisfying the user presence criterion and/or the interest criterion. 
     For situations in which the systems discussed here collect personal information about users, the users may be provided with an opportunity to opt in/out of programs or features that may collect personal information (e.g., information about a user&#39;s preferences or a user&#39;s current location). In addition, certain data may be anonymized in one or more ways before it is stored or used, so that personally identifiable information is removed. For example, a user&#39;s identity may be anonymized so that no personally identifiable information can be determined for the user, or a user&#39;s geographic location may be generalized where location information is obtained (such as to a city, zip code, or state level), so that a particular location of the user cannot be determined. 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an example environment  100  for providing content to a user. The example environment  100  includes a network  102 , such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), the Internet, or a combination thereof. The network  102  connects websites  104 , user devices  106 , content providers  108 , publishers, and a content management system  110 . The example environment  100  may include many thousands of websites  104 , user devices  106 , and content providers  108 . The content management system  110  may be used for selecting and providing content in response to requests for content. The content providers  108  can be, for example, advertisers. Other types of content providers are possible. 
     A content provider  108  can create a content campaign using tools provided by the content management system  110 . For example, the content management system  110  can provide one or more account management user interfaces for creating and managing content campaigns. The account management user interfaces can be made available to the content provider  108 , for example, either through an online interface provided by the content management system  110  or as an account management software application installed and executed locally at a content provider&#39;s client device. 
     The content provider  108  can, using the account management user interfaces, provide campaign parameters  111  which define a content campaign. The campaign parameters  111  can be stored in a parameters data store  112 . Campaign parameters  111  can include, for example, a campaign name, a preferred content network for placing content, a budget for the campaign, start and end dates for the campaign, a schedule for content placements, content (e.g., a creative), and targeting criteria. Targeting criteria can include, for example, a targeted language, one or more targeted geographical locations, and a presence/interest specification. 
     One account management user interface can include one or more controls for specifying targeting criteria, such as a control that is used to specify the presence/interest specification. The presence/interest specification indicates whether the content provider  108  desires to target users based on a presence of a user in a prescribed geographic location, based on an indication of an interest by a user in the prescribed geographic location, or both. A campaign can be created and activated for the content provider  108  according to the parameters  111  specified by the content provider  108 . 
     A website  104  includes one or more resources  105  associated with a domain name and hosted by one or more servers. An example website  104  is a collection of web pages formatted in hypertext markup language (HTML) that can contain text, images, multimedia content, and programming elements, such as scripts. Each website  104  can be maintained by a content publisher, which is an entity that controls, manages and/or owns the website  104 . 
     A resource  105  can be any data that can be provided over the network  102 . A resource  105  can be identified by a resource address that is associated with the resource  105 . Resources  105  include HTML pages, word processing documents, portable document format (PDF) documents, images, video, and news feed sources, to name only a few. The resources  105  can include content, such as words, phrases, images and sounds, that may include embedded information (such as meta-information hyperlinks) and/or embedded instructions (such as JavaScript scripts). 
     To facilitate searching of resources  105 , the environment  100  can include a search system  113  that identifies the resources  105  by crawling and indexing the resources  105  provided by the content publishers on the websites  104 . Data about the resources  105  can be indexed based on the resource  105  to which the data corresponds. The indexed and, optionally, cached copies of the resources  105  can be stored in an indexed cache  114 . 
     A user device  106  is an electronic device that is under control of a user and is capable of requesting and receiving resources  105  over the network  102 . Example user devices  106  include personal computers, mobile communication devices (e.g., smartphones), and other devices that can send and receive data over the network  102 . A user device  106  typically includes one or more user applications, such as a web browser, to facilitate the sending and receiving of data over the network  102 . 
     A user device  106  can request resources  105  from a website  104 . In turn, data representing the resource  105  can be provided to the user device  106  for presentation by the user device  106 . User devices  106  can also submit search queries  116  to the search system  113  over the network  102 . 
     Some search queries  116  can be submitted using a map application. The search system  113  can, for example, provide a map application which can present a search control along with a viewport for use in presenting location data. A map showing a particular location can be presented in the viewport and the user can enter one or more query terms using the search control. 
     In response to a search query  116 , the search system  113  can access the indexed cache  114  to identify resources  105  that are relevant to the search query  116 . The search system  113  identifies the resources  105  in the form of search results  118  and returns the search results  118  to the user devices  106  in one or more search results pages. In some implementations, a search result  118  is data generated by the search system  113  that identifies a resource  105  that is responsive to a particular search query  116 , and includes a link to the resource  105 . An example search result  118  can include a web page title, a snippet of text or a portion of an image extracted from the web page, and the URL (Unified Resource Location) of the web page. 
     The search system  113  or the content information system  110  can update usage information  124  based on user activities, such as requests for resources  105 , search queries  116 , other requests for content, web sites visited, or interactions with content. In some implementations, the usage information  124  can be derived, for example, from one or more of a search query log, an advertisement log, or requests for content. The usage information  124  can include, for each entry, a timestamp, an IP (Internet Protocol) address associated with a requesting user device  106 , a type of usage, a location of interest associated with the activity (if any), the location of the user when the activity occurred, and other details associated with the usage. 
     The usage information  124  can be used for various purposes, such as to determine targeting information. For example, targeting information can be determined for a particular location, such as to target users who appear to be traveling to or are physically located in the particular location or who have otherwise expressed an interest in the particular location. For example, the content management system  110  can determine targeting information for a location based on historical information that matches a pattern of users that have traveled to or planned travel to the particular location. 
     After targeting information has been determined for a particular location, a request for content can be received from a user. The request for content can be, for example, a request for a resource  105  or a search query  116  from a user device  106 . The content management system  110  can determine whether the user is present or merely interested in a geographic location associated with the request. For example, search query terms associated with the request may include or indicate a location of interest. For example, search query terms may include a zip code, a city name, or an address. As another example, a search query term of “Golden Gate Bridge” may indicate a location of “San Francisco”. A location of interest can also be determined based on location information associated with a location displayed in a map viewport at the time the request was submitted. 
     The content management system  110  can determine the location of the user at the time of submission of a request for content, based, for example, on an IP address of a user device  106  that submitted the request. As another example, the user device  106  can determine the location of the user using a location based service (e.g., a GPS (Global Positioning System) service) and can communicate the location to the search system  113  and/or the content management system  110 . A user&#39;s location can also be determined based on a mode (e.g., home, work, away) of the user, which may be determined based on the day and/or time of the request. In some implementations, the content management system  110  can determine whether the user is traveling to the location, such as by comparing the location of the user to a home location associated with the user. 
     The content management system  110  can serve content from the campaign to the requesting user device  106  when the content item request satisfies the targeting criteria for the campaign, such as if the content item request satisfies the presence/interest specification. For example, if the presence/interest specification indicates that the content provider  108  desires to target users who are present at one or more particular locations and if the content management system  110  determines that the user is located at one of the particular locations, the content management system  110  can serve content to the user. As another example, the content management system  110  can serve content if the presence/interest specification indicates that the content provider  108  desires to target users who have expressed interest in one or more particular locations and the content management system  110  determines that the user has expressed an interest in one or more of the particular locations. The content management system  110  can provide content to the user based at least in part on particular targeting information previously determined from the usage information  124 . 
     The content management system  110  can use other criteria to select content items to provide in response to the request. For example, the request for content can include characteristics (e.g., size, supported media types) of one or more content “slots” that are defined for the requested resource  105  or search results page. As another example, resource keywords associated with a requested resource  105  or a search query  116  can be provided to the content management system  110 . Content items selected by the content management system  110  can include content items having characteristics matching the characteristics of content slots and that are identified as relevant to specified resource keywords or search queries  116 . For example, content items having targeting keywords that match the resource keywords or the search query  116  can be selected by the content management system  110 . The content management system  110  can also select content items at least in part based on the results of an auction. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a block diagram of an example system  200  for providing content to a user. The system  200  includes a search system  202 , a content management system  204 , a campaign sponsor client device  206 , and user devices  208 ,  210 ,  212 , and  214 , connected to a network  216 . The content management system  204  can receive requests for content from user devices  208 - 214 , over the network  216 . For example, a user  218  can submit search queries while using the user device  208  while at work in San Diego. Similarly, the user  218  can submit search queries while using the user device  210  while at home in Oceanside. The user device  210  may be the same device as the user device  208  or may be a different device. Other examples include the content management system  204  receiving a request for content from the user device  212  associated with a user  220  who resides in Yuma, Ariz. and receiving a request for content from the user device  214  (which may be the same device as the user device  212 ) when the user  220  travels to San Francisco (e.g., as illustrated by a user  222 ). 
     Historical information about queries, other requests for content, user content interactions, and other user activities can be stored in usage information  224 . The content management system  204  can determine targeting information, such as targeting information that is associated with particular locations, such as Oceanside, Yuma, San Diego, and San Francisco. For example, the content management system  204  can group the usage information  224  by location (e.g., by recorded locations of users and/or recorded location of interest information associated with received user requests), and for each location, the content management system  204  can, for example, identify frequently used search terms entered by users who performed associated queries. Targeting information for a particular location can be determined based on the identified frequently used search terms for that location. 
     A campaign sponsor  206  can use the campaign sponsor client device  226  to access a user interface  228  provided by the content management system  204  to customize targeting information for a campaign. The user interface  228  can include, among other controls, a user selectable control  230  for specifying one or more targeting criteria. For example, the control  230  includes a control  232  which can be used to specify a targeting criterion of a presence of a user in a prescribed geographic location, a control  234  which can be used to specify a targeting criterion of an interest by a user in a prescribed geographic location, and a control  236  which can be used to specify targeting criteria that includes both the presence of a user in a prescribed geographic location or an interest by a user in a prescribed geographic location. A selection can be received from the campaign sponsor  226  of one or more targeting criteria to be associated with the campaign, including a selection of one of the controls  232 ,  234 , or  236 . An indication of the campaign sponsor&#39;s selection can be stored in a targeting criteria data store  238  as a presence/interest specification. 
     In response to a received content request for a user, it can be determined whether the user is present or merely interested in a particular geographic location, and based on the determination, content from the campaign can be served when a content item request satisfies the targeting criteria for the campaign, including satisfying the user presence criterion and/or the interest criterion. For example, if the presence/interest specification for the campaign sponsor  226  corresponds to targeting based on presence and if the campaign sponsor  226  has targeted the location of San Francisco, content provided by the campaign sponsor  226  may be provided to the user device  214  when the user  222  is traveling to San Francisco, such as content items  246 ,  248 , and  250  included in content slots in a resource  252  displayed on a display device  254  of the user device  214 . In contrast, the content items  246 ,  248 , and  250  might not be displayed, for example, to the user  218 , since the user  218  is not physically present in San Francisco. 
     Content may be provided to the user device  214  if the request for content matches targeting criteria other than the presence/interest specification. For example, a search keyword, such as “attractions” or “hotels”, may match one or more targeting keywords provided by the campaign sponsor  226 . When selecting content to provide to the user device  214 , the content management system  204  can select one or more content items based at least in part on targeting information associated with the location of San Francisco previously determined from the usage information  224 . 
     As another example, if the presence/interest specification for the campaign sponsor  226  corresponds to targeting based on interest and if the campaign sponsor  226  has targeted the location of San Francisco, content provided by the campaign sponsor  226  may be provided to the user device  210  in response to the user  218  performing a search  260  using a search application  262  displayed on a display device  264  while the San Francisco area is displayed in a map viewport  266 . For example, a content item  268  provided by the campaign sponsor  226  may be provided to and displayed in the user device  210  in a content slot included in the search application  262 . As another example, content provided by the campaign sponsor  226  may be provided to the user device  210  in response to the user  218  selecting a San Francisco related search result  271  included in a search results list  272  or in response to the user  218  performing a search that includes one or more San Francisco-related search terms. 
     In this example, where the presence/interest specification indicates targeting based on interest for the campaign sponsor  226 , the content item  268  might not be displayed to the user  218  if the user  218  performs a search query that does not include a San Francisco-related search term. Similarly, the content item  268  might not be displayed to the user  222 , even though the user  222  is in San Francisco, if the user  222  performs a search query that does not include a San Francisco-related search term and does not otherwise indicate a location of interest of San Francisco. If the user device  214  submits a request for content where the request for content does have a location of interest related to San Francisco, such as if the request for content is associated with the San Francisco weather report resource  252 , then the content item  268  might be displayed to the user  222  (e.g., as illustrated by the content item  248 ). 
     The presence/interest specification can indicate exclusion criteria as well as targeting criteria. For example,  FIGS. 3A-3C  illustrate example controls  302 - 306 , respectively, that may be displayed in the user interface  228 , for specifying a presence/interest specification. The control  302  is similar to the control  230 , in that it includes a control  307  which includes controls  308 ,  310 , and  312 , which correspond to the controls,  236 ,  232 , and  234 , respectively. The controls  308 ,  310 , and  312  can be displayed, for example, in response to selection of an advanced location options control  314 . As indicated by the “recommended” phrase included in the label of the control  308 , an option to target both based on presence and on interest can be recommended to a campaign sponsor, as targeting based on presence or on interest may result in fewer impressions for the campaign sponsor. For example, in some implementations, it is recommended that the campaign sponsor select the control  310  or the control  312  if the campaign sponsor has a particular reason to target based on presence or on interest, and to otherwise select the control  308 . 
     In response to the campaign sponsor selecting the control  310 , the control  304  (e.g., as shown in  FIG. 3B ) can be displayed in place of the control  302 . The user can select a control  316  to cause the control  307  to reappear. The control  304  includes a control  318 , which can be used to specify an exclusion method. For example, the control  318  includes a control  320  which the campaign sponsor can select to exclude based on physical location and search interest. If the control  320  is selected, associated content provided by the campaign sponsor is not shown to users who are physically located in an excluded location or who indicate an excluded location as a location of interest. 
     For example, referring again to  FIG. 2 , if the campaign sponsor  226  has targeted the United States, and has excluded based on physical location and search interest with an excluded location of California, content provided by the campaign sponsor  226  may be provided to the user device  212  if the user  220  does not indicate a location of interest related to California in a request for content, since the user device  212  is located within the United States but outside of California. In this example, content from the campaign sponsor  226  that is associated with the excluded location is not provided to the user device  212  if the user  222  indicates a location of interest of California. Also in this example, content from the campaign sponsor  226  that is associated with the excluded location is not provided to the user devices  208 ,  210 , or  214 , since those user devices are located in California. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3C , suppose the campaign sponsor has specified to target based on search intent (e.g., as illustrated by a label  322 ) and has selected a control  324  to exclude by physical location only and that an excluded location is the state of California. In this example, referring back to  FIG. 2 , content provided by the campaign sponsor  226  that is associated with the excluded location of California is not provided to the user devices  208 ,  210 , or  214 , since those user devices are located in California, even if associated requests for content indicate a location of interest related to California. Content might be provided to the user device  212 , since the user device  212  is not in California, if the user  220  indicates a location of interest related to California. 
     As another example, in some implementations, the campaign sponsor  226  can specify to target users who are traveling to a particular location, such as San Francisco. For example, the content management system  204  can determine that the user  220  is a traveler who is currently located in San Francisco (e.g., as illustrated by the user  222 ), such as by comparing a home location of Yuma associated with the user  220  to a current location of San Francisco associated with a request received from the user device  214 . For example, in some implementations, a home IP address and/or a work IP address can be associated with a user, and the user&#39;s current location can be determined to be a home location (e.g., Oceanside for the user  218 ), a work location (e.g., San Diego for the user  218 ), or an away (e.g., travel) location based on comparing an IP address associated with a content request to the home IP address and/or the work IP address of the user. 
     In some implementations, a report  270  can be provided to the campaign sponsor  226  where the report  270  includes details for a time interval for content delivery (e.g., the previous month) by the content management system  204  including details of how each delivery satisfied a presence/interest specification of the campaign sponsor  226 . For example, the report  270  includes columns  272 - 284  indicating, for each delivery, if applicable, a date, a user, a description of the request that resulted in the delivery, the user&#39;s location, the value of the presence/interest specification at the time of the delivery, a targeted location, and an excluded location, respectively. The report  270  includes details for some of the examples discussed above where content was delivered to the user  218 ,  220 , or  222 . The report  270  can include other information. For example, the report  270  can indicate that the row  286  is associated with an exclude by physical location and search interest setting and that the row  288  is associated with an exclude by physical location only setting. As another example, the report  270  can include other information which indicates which content item(s) were served in response to each request. 
     In some implementations, the content management system  204  can, along with tracking details of how each content delivery by the content management system  204  satisfied a content sponsor&#39;s presence/interest specification, determine performance information for each respective content item for when the content item was provided based on the user being at a given location and when the content item was provided based on the user being interested in but not physically present at the given location. Performance information can include, for example, click through rate and conversion information. 
     The report  270  can include the performance information and can also include one or more controls which enable the content sponsor to optimize the campaign based on the performance information. For example, the content sponsor can select a control to split a campaign into a first campaign with a first presence/interest specification corresponding to targeting users who are at a given location and a second campaign with a second presence/interest specification corresponding to targeting users who have expressed an interest in a given location. The first and second campaigns can have, for example, different associated bid amounts and other, different campaign settings. As another example of optimizing, the content sponsor can split a campaign into two or more campaigns based on performance information associated with multiple locations. In some implementations, the content management system  204  can perform the example optimizations described above automatically based on the performance information. 
       FIG. 4  is a flowchart of an example process  400  for serving content. The process  400  can be performed, for example, by the content management system  110  described above with respect to  FIG. 1 . As another example, the process  400  can be performed by the content management system  204  described above with respect to  FIG. 2 . 
     A user interface is presented to a campaign sponsor ( 402 ) for customizing targeting information for a campaign, including a user selectable control for specifying one or more targeting criteria, where at least one targeting criteria includes a presence of a user in a prescribed geographic location or an indication of an interest by a user in the prescribed geographic location. For example, with respect to  FIG. 2 , the user interface  228 , which includes the control  230  for specifying targeting using physical location (e.g., presence) and/or targeting using search interest (e.g., intent), can be presented to the campaign sponsor  226 . 
     A selection is received from the campaign sponsor of one or more targeting criteria to be associated with the campaign, including a selection of one or both of user presence and interest ( 404 ). For example, the campaign sponsor  226  can select the control  232  to specify to target using user presence, can select the control  234  to specify to target using interest, or can select the control  236  to specify to target using either presence or interest. 
     Content delivery options are evaluated for presenting content associated with the campaign, including determining for a given content request whether a user is present or merely interested in a geographic location ( 406 ). For example, the content management system  110  can determine the location of a user from the user&#39;s user device  106 , e.g., using global positioning system (GPS) capabilities of the user device  106 , or obtained through cell triangulation, e.g., from three or more signal transmitters, towers or satellites that serve the user device  106 . In some implementations, the location of the user device  106  can be obtained through periodic mobile check-ins, such as positional checkpoints made by the mobile device at regular intervals, or from a user&#39;s check-in at an establishment using, for example, a social application. As another example, the location of the user can be determined by geocoding an IP address of a client device (e.g., the user device  214 ) that submitted the content item request. 
     Whether a user is interested in the geographic location can be determined based on whether a location of interest is included in or associated with the content item request. For example, the user can include one or more location-related search terms (e.g., city names, state names, street names, ZIP codes, landmark names, etc.) in a search query. As another example, a location of interest can be determined from geographic information displayed in, or related to, a map viewport (e.g., the San Francisco area displayed in the map viewport  266 ). In some implementations, the location of interest can be inferred, for example, from the center-point coordinates of the map&#39;s viewport or from a destination included in driving directions provided by the map application. 
     Content from the campaign is served when a content item request satisfies the targeting criteria for the campaign ( 408 ). For example, if the targeting criteria indicates that the campaign sponsor desires to target users who are present at one or more particular locations and if the content management system  110  determines that the user is located at one of the particular locations, the content management system  110  can serve content to the user. For example, the content management system  204  can serve the content item  248  to the user device  214  based on determining that the campaign sponsor  226  has previously selected the control  232  and has targeted San Francisco and that the user  222  is located in San Francisco. 
     As another example, the content management system  110  can serve content if the targeting criteria indicates that the campaign sponsor desires to target users who have expressed interest in one or more particular locations and the content management system  110  determines that the user has expressed an interest in one or more of the particular locations. For example, the content management system  204  can serve the content item  268  to the user device  210  based on determining that the campaign sponsor  226  has previously selected the control  234  and has targeted San Francisco and that the user  218  has performed the search query  260  while the map viewport  266  displays the San Francisco area. 
       FIG. 5  is a flowchart of an example process  500  for providing content to a user. The process  500  can be performed, for example, by the content management system  110  described above with respect to  FIG. 1 . As another example, the process  500  can be performed by the content management system  204  described above with respect to  FIG. 2 . 
     A content item sponsor is enabled to target content to users based on whether a content item request is associated with a user at a particular location or is associated with a user that has expressed an interest in the particular location ( 502 ), including enabling a content sponsor to exclude presentation of their content for at least one of these types of requests, where enabling includes receiving a presence/interest specification from the content item sponsor for a campaign. For example, the content item sponsor can be presented with a user interface that includes the controls  302  or  304 . The control  302  enables the content item sponsor to target content to users based on whether a content item request is associated with a user at a particular location or is associated with a user that has expressed an interest in the particular location. The control  304  enables the content item sponsor to specify exclusion criteria based on whether a user is at a location or whether a user has expressed interest in a location. 
     A received content item request is evaluated to determine a likelihood that the user is at a given location ( 504 ). For example, as described above, a user&#39;s location can be determined based on an IP address associated with the request, or based on location based services (e.g., GPS, cell triangulation). The likelihood can be expressed in terms of a probability. 
     The received content item request is evaluated to determine a likelihood that the user is merely interested in the given location but is not physically present at the given location ( 506 ). For example, it can be determined that the user is not physically present at the given location by comparing the user&#39;s current location to the given location (e.g., if the distance between the user&#39;s current location and the given location is more than a threshold, it can be determined that the user is not physically present at the given location). Whether the user is interested in the given location can be determined if the user has expressed an interest in the given location, such as by one or more location-related search terms, or other location-related information, such as the display of the given location in a map application. The likelihood can be expressed in terms of a probability. 
     Content from a content sponsor is provided in response to the received content item request only if targeting criteria for the campaign match the request including satisfying a presence/interest specification from a respective content item sponsor for the campaign ( 508 ). For example, content can be served if the presence/interest specification indicates that the content item sponsor desires to target based on presence of the user and if the likelihood that the user is at the given location is greater than a first threshold. As another example, content can be served if the presence/interest specification indicates that the content item sponsor desires to target based on interest of the user and if the likelihood that the user is interested in the given location is greater than a second threshold. 
       FIG. 6  is a block diagram of computing devices  600 ,  650  that may be used to implement the systems and methods described in this document, as either a client or as a server or plurality of servers. Computing device  600  is intended to represent various forms of digital computers, such as laptops, desktops, workstations, personal digital assistants, servers, blade servers, mainframes, and other appropriate computers. Computing device  650  is intended to represent various forms of mobile devices, such as personal digital assistants, cellular telephones, smartphones, and other similar computing devices. The components shown here, their connections and relationships, and their functions, are meant to be exemplary only, and are not meant to limit implementations of the inventions described and/or claimed in this document. 
     Computing device  600  includes a processor  602 , memory  604 , a storage device  606 , a high-speed interface  608  connecting to memory  604  and high-speed expansion ports  610 , and a low speed interface  612  connecting to low speed bus  614  and storage device  606 . Each of the components  602 ,  604 ,  606 ,  608 ,  610 , and  612 , are interconnected using various busses, and may be mounted on a common motherboard or in other manners as appropriate. The processor  602  can process instructions for execution within the computing device  600 , including instructions stored in the memory  604  or on the storage device  606  to display graphical information for a GUI on an external input/output device, such as display  616  coupled to high speed interface  608 . In other implementations, multiple processors and/or multiple buses may be used, as appropriate, along with multiple memories and types of memory. Also, multiple computing devices  600  may be connected, with each device providing portions of the necessary operations (e.g., as a server bank, a group of blade servers, or a multi-processor system). 
     The memory  604  stores information within the computing device  600 . In one implementation, the memory  604  is a computer-readable medium. In one implementation, the memory  604  is a volatile memory unit or units. In another implementation, the memory  604  is a non-volatile memory unit or units. 
     The storage device  606  is capable of providing mass storage for the computing device  600 . In one implementation, the storage device  606  is a computer-readable medium. In various different implementations, the storage device  606  may be a floppy disk device, a hard disk device, an optical disk device, or a tape device, a flash memory or other similar solid state memory device, or an array of devices, including devices in a storage area network or other configurations. In one implementation, a computer program product is tangibly embodied in an information carrier. The computer program product contains instructions that, when executed, perform one or more methods, such as those described above. The information carrier is a computer- or machine-readable medium, such as the memory  604 , the storage device  606 , or memory on processor  602 . 
     The high speed controller  608  manages bandwidth-intensive operations for the computing device  600 , while the low speed controller  612  manages lower bandwidth-intensive operations. Such allocation of duties is exemplary only. In one implementation, the high-speed controller  608  is coupled to memory  604 , display  616  (e.g., through a graphics processor or accelerator), and to high-speed expansion ports  610 , which may accept various expansion cards (not shown). In the implementation, low-speed controller  612  is coupled to storage device  606  and low-speed expansion port  614 . The low-speed expansion port, which may include various communication ports (e.g., USB, Bluetooth, Ethernet, wireless Ethernet) may be coupled to one or more input/output devices, such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a scanner, or a networking device such as a switch or router, e.g., through a network adapter. 
     The computing device  600  may be implemented in a number of different forms, as shown in the figure. For example, it may be implemented as a standard server  620 , or multiple times in a group of such servers. It may also be implemented as part of a rack server system  624 . In addition, it may be implemented in a personal computer such as a laptop computer  622 . Alternatively, components from computing device  600  may be combined with other components in a mobile device (not shown), such as device  650 . Each of such devices may contain one or more of computing device  600 ,  650 , and an entire system may be made up of multiple computing devices  600 ,  650  communicating with each other. 
     Computing device  650  includes a processor  652 , memory  664 , an input/output device such as a display  654 , a communication interface  666 , and a transceiver  668 , among other components. The device  650  may also be provided with a storage device, such as a microdrive or other device, to provide additional storage. Each of the components  650 ,  652 ,  664 ,  654 ,  666 , and  668 , are interconnected using various buses, and several of the components may be mounted on a common motherboard or in other manners as appropriate. 
     The processor  652  can process instructions for execution within the computing device  650 , including instructions stored in the memory  664 . The processor may also include separate analog and digital processors. The processor may provide, for example, for coordination of the other components of the device  650 , such as control of user interfaces, applications run by device  650 , and wireless communication by device  650 . 
     Processor  652  may communicate with a user through control interface  658  and display interface  656  coupled to a display  654 . The display  654  may be, for example, a TFT LCD display or an OLED display, or other appropriate display technology. The display interface  656  may comprise appropriate circuitry for driving the display  654  to present graphical and other information to a user. The control interface  658  may receive commands from a user and convert them for submission to the processor  652 . In addition, an external interface  662  may be provide in communication with processor  652 , so as to enable near area communication of device  650  with other devices. External interface  662  may provide, for example, for wired communication (e.g., via a docking procedure) or for wireless communication (e.g., via Bluetooth or other such technologies). 
     The memory  664  stores information within the computing device  650 . In one implementation, the memory  664  is a computer-readable medium. In one implementation, the memory  664  is a volatile memory unit or units. In another implementation, the memory  664  is a non-volatile memory unit or units. Expansion memory  674  may also be provided and connected to device  650  through expansion interface  672 , which may include, for example, a SIMM card interface. Such expansion memory  674  may provide extra storage space for device  650 , or may also store applications or other information for device  650 . Specifically, expansion memory  674  may include instructions to carry out or supplement the processes described above, and may include secure information also. Thus, for example, expansion memory  674  may be provide as a security module for device  650 , and may be programmed with instructions that permit secure use of device  650 . In addition, secure applications may be provided via the SIMM cards, along with additional information, such as placing identifying information on the SIMM card in a non-hackable manner. 
     The memory may include for example, flash memory and/or MRAM memory, as discussed below. In one implementation, a computer program product is tangibly embodied in an information carrier. The computer program product contains instructions that, when executed, perform one or more methods, such as those described above. The information carrier is a computer- or machine-readable medium, such as the memory  664 , expansion memory  674 , or memory on processor  652 . 
     Device  650  may communicate wirelessly through communication interface  666 , which may include digital signal processing circuitry where necessary. Communication interface  666  may provide for communications under various modes or protocols, such as GSM voice calls, SMS, EMS, or MMS messaging, CDMA, TDMA, PDC, WCDMA, CDMA2000, or GPRS, among others. Such communication may occur, for example, through radio-frequency transceiver  668 . In addition, short-range communication may occur, such as using a Bluetooth, WiFi, or other such transceiver (not shown). In addition, GPS receiver module  670  may provide additional wireless data to device  650 , which may be used as appropriate by applications running on device  650 . 
     Device  650  may also communication audibly using audio codec  660 , which may receive spoken information from a user and convert it to usable digital information. Audio codex  660  may likewise generate audible sound for a user, such as through a speaker, e.g., in a handset of device  650 . Such sound may include sound from voice telephone calls, may include recorded sound (e.g., voice messages, music files, etc.) and may also include sound generated by applications operating on device  650 . 
     The computing device  650  may be implemented in a number of different forms, as shown in the figure. For example, it may be implemented as a cellular telephone  680 . It may also be implemented as part of a smartphone  682 , personal digital assistant, or other similar mobile device. 
     Various implementations of the systems and techniques described here can be realized in digital electronic circuitry, integrated circuitry, specially designed ASICs (application specific integrated circuits), computer hardware, firmware, software, and/or combinations thereof. These various implementations can include implementation in one or more computer programs that are executable and/or interpretable on a programmable system including at least one programmable processor, which may be special or general purpose, coupled to receive data and instructions from, and to transmit data and instructions to, a storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device. 
     These computer programs (also known as programs, software, software applications or code) include machine instructions for a programmable processor, and can be implemented in a high-level procedural and/or object-oriented programming language, and/or in assembly/machine language. As used herein, the terms “machine-readable medium” “computer-readable medium” refers to any computer program product, apparatus and/or device (e.g., magnetic discs, optical disks, memory, Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs)) used to provide machine instructions and/or data to a programmable processor, including a machine-readable medium that receives machine instructions as a machine-readable signal. The term “machine-readable signal” refers to any signal used to provide machine instructions and/or data to a programmable processor. 
     To provide for interaction with a user, the systems and techniques described here can be implemented on a computer having a display device (e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor) for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointing device (e.g., a mouse or a trackball) by which the user can provide input to the computer. Other kinds of devices can be used to provide for interaction with a user as well; for example, feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback (e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback); and input from the user can be received in any form, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input. 
     The systems and techniques described here can be implemented in a computing system that includes a back-end component (e.g., as a data server), or that includes a middleware component (e.g., an application server), or that includes a front-end component (e.g., a client computer having a graphical user interface or a Web browser through which a user can interact with an implementation of the systems and techniques described here), or any combination of such back-end, middleware, or front-end components. The components of the system can be interconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication (e.g., a communication network). Examples of communication networks include a local area network (“LAN”), a wide area network (“WAN”), and the Internet. 
     The computing system can include clients and servers. A client and server are generally remote from each other and typically interact through a communication network. The relationship of client and server arises by virtue of computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client-server relationship to each other. 
     A number of embodiments of the invention have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, various forms of the flows shown above may be used, with steps re-ordered, added, or removed. Also, although several applications of the payment systems and methods have been described, it should be recognized that numerous other applications are contemplated. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.