Over the past month we have confirmed with multiple sources that Facebook is in the process of rolling out an API for their advertising platform. How that API will be rolled out is still not clear but they are currently testing the service with a number of partners. This step makes a lot of sense considering that Google has an AdWords API and an AdSense API. When Google ads were initially evolving, a number of companies built layers on top of Google AdWords that turned in to lucrative businesses.
Right now there are already a number of ways to hack up a Facebook Ads API but none of them are technically “Facebook sanctioned”. While we don’t know whether or not this new API will be globally accessible, there’s no doubt that releasing an API will assist in increasing the company’s advertising revenue. Google happens to charge for their API service but there are no signs as of now that Facebook will do the same thing.
We’ve also heard that MySpace is planning a roll-out of their own API which is in high demand from affiliate advertisers who claim that MySpace ads are seeing better conversion rates than Facebook currently. Both sites have been experiencing large demand from affiliate advertisers although more recently many affiliate advertisers have been complaining of click fraud on Facebook. So how will this new advertising API work?
According to a number of people we’ve spoken to, the API is expected to allow advertisers to calculate expected CPMs and CPCs on advertisements as well as make changes to ads on the fly. Facebook hadn’t let advertisers modify ads until recently (two weeks ago to be exact) but it’s a highly demanded feature especially from those advertisers that are running large ad campaigns.
We’ve been hearing about the new advertising API over the past month and the buzz has been increasing recently. We’re expecting more details to unfold about the API over the coming weeks and months.
![[Inside Social Apps 2012]](http://www.allfacebook.com/wordpress/wp-content/themes/allfacebook2/images/ISA2012_336x100_F_RegisterNow.gif)
![[AllFacebook Stats: Facebook Analytics for Your Business]](http://www.allfacebook.com/wordpress/wp-content/themes/allfacebook2/images/stpro_allfacebookstats.gif)
![[How can Facebook change your business?]](http://www.allfacebook.com/wordpress/wp-content/themes/allfacebook2/images/FMB_A_MAY2011_336x100_F.gif)
I've mentioned this before, but you have a really annoying redirect loop going on when I follow your links from the news feed. I have to x-out the facebook comment frame, which I really like using. In anycase, it doesn't open normally. You should look into that. Happens in IE and Chrome. (Don't know about FF)
Also, for those of us who aren't positive what an ads api is, does this mean we'll start seeing facebook ads on other sites, or is it allowing people to automate creation of ads?
Comment by Eric Godfrey — July 29, 2009 @ 8:56 am
It redirects on FF aswell Eric. I have no idea how to stop it from redirecting.
Comment by Finlay Cashin — August 19, 2009 @ 12:58 am
[...] has continued to improve upon. Last year the social network released to some developers and application programming interface that includes optimizing ad performance, and offerings that tap this API have been trickling out [...]
Pingback by Thou Shalt Not Overspend On Facebook Ads — November 10, 2010 @ 2:38 pm