The Google AdWords blog has just announced the introduction of demographic bidding within the AdWords campaign - or to be more specific, this bidding option is available within the content targeted network and only for those sites where data exists to be able to offer this facility (such as MySpace, Friendster and others). All user data from these sites has been aggregated so that user privacy is protected.

This is a move that has been expected since Microsoft launched their adCenter PPC service in the US, which contained the option for demographic targeting by using data from Microsoft's network of online services. However, although Google was expected to introduce such an option themselves, their access to this level of user data has been more limited, so this introduction of bidding controls within the content targeted network is a good start.

It also helps to provide a further level of management within the third-party content network and should be a useful feature for advertisers who also have an understanding of the demographics of their customer base and target market.