Behavioral targeting focuses on users' past behaviors, such as previous interactions, searches, or purchases. It uses data like browsing history, ad clicks, and demographic information to display ads based on a user's prior actions and interests.
Contextual targeting, on the other hand, places ads based on the content of the webpage the user is currently engaging with. It analyzes the text, images, and overall theme of the page to serve ads relevant to that content, ensuring real-time relevance without relying on past behavior.
So, Behavioral targeting is data-driven based on past activity, while contextual targeting is content-driven and relevant to the current environment.