Jane Manning: The Unsung Hero Behind Google's AdWords

When we talk about Google's meteoric rise to becoming one of the world's most powerful tech companies, the conversation inevitably leads to Google AdWords. Launched in 2000, AdWords (now Google Ads) has been the financial engine of Google, generating over $60 billion in revenue in its most recent year alone. However, the success story of AdWords almost never happened, and it was the perseverance and vision of one individual, Jane Manning, that turned this potential failure into a triumph.

The Challenge of Innovation

The year was 2000, and Google was still in its infancy, navigating its way through uncharted waters. The concept of AdWords had the backing of Larry Page, but it faced significant resistance from within the company. Both the ad sales team and the engineering team had serious reservations about this self-service advertising platform.

The sales team, led by Omid Kordestani, was concerned about cannibalization. They were already successfully selling keywords to large brands, placing prominent ads at the top of search results. They feared that a self-service platform would undermine their efforts and devalue their product.

The engineering team, focused on delivering highly relevant search results, worried that ads would confuse and frustrate users, detracting from the user experience.

Enter Jane Manning

Jane Manning, then a young engineering manager, was asked to step in as the product manager for the AdWords project. She took on the daunting task of bridging the gap between these opposing viewpoints. Jane's approach was to deeply understand the concerns of each team. She engaged in extensive discussions, addressing discomfort with advertising, fears of cannibalization, and worries about user dissatisfaction.

Armed with this understanding, Jane began to advocate for a solution that would meet everyone's needs. She envisioned a system where AdWords-generated ads would be placed to the side of the search results, clearly separated from the sales team’s top-placed ads. This positioning reduced the risk of user confusion and ensured that the new platform did not directly compete with existing sales efforts.

The Winning Formula

Jane also proposed an innovative approach to ad placement. Rather than basing ad placement solely on the price paid, she introduced a formula that multiplied the price paid per impression by the ad's click-through rate (CTR). This meant that the best-performing ads—the ones most relevant to users—would rise to the top, while poorly performing ads would remain obscure, regardless of their price.

This solution not only alleviated the sales team’s fears of cannibalization but also maintained the quality and relevance of search results, satisfying the engineering team’s concerns.

The Launch of AdWords

Jane led the product discovery work, wrote the first specification for AdWords, and collaborated closely with engineers to build and launch the product. The result was a groundbreaking success. AdWords empowered countless small businesses with an effective advertising solution and became a cornerstone of Google’s revenue model.

Beyond AdWords

Jane's story is a testament to the persistence and ingenuity required to bring innovative products to life. It's a reminder that behind every successful product, there are individuals who overcome numerous objections, whether technical, business-related, or otherwise.

After her pivotal role in the creation of AdWords, Jane took a break from Google to start a family. Today, she is back at Google, contributing her expertise to the YouTube team, continuing to make an impact in the tech world.

Jane Manning's journey underscores the importance of understanding stakeholder concerns, advocating for balanced solutions, and driving innovation against all odds. Her work not only shaped the future of Google but also set a standard for product management excellence.