Behavioral targeting is all about collecting data and utilizing it to create personalized ads for your audience. Contextual targeting, on the other hand, is a less personalized approach.
Contextual targeting is about displaying ads on web pages based on the content on those pages. Behavioral targeting is about the audience. Contextual targeting is about the content.
For example, in contextual targeting, if you visit a makeup company’s website, you will most likely see ads for skincare products. Though contextual targeting is also effective, there is a downside. Sometimes, the ads can get lost on the web page because it is so similar to the rest of the content.
Behavioral and contextual targeting are not mutually exclusive. In fact, you can even use behavioral targeting in order to improve the quality of your contextual targeting ads!