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Google seems to be testing a new ad format on desktop
And I think the only beneficiary from this new format will be Google.
I got caught by this new ad-card format on my tablet. I never click paid links/ads if I can avoid them. But the new card format in SERPs for tablets no longer uses a different background colour, and the pill that says "Ad" can easily be mistaken for a rich snippet. Note how low contrast the word "Ad" is on the pill.
Well I've just got this ad format on desktop. Coming as close to paid insertion as you could get IMO. I wonder how this fits with the recent EU probe into Google's practices?
Google seems to be testing a new ad format on desktop. And I think the only beneficiary from this new format will be Google.
I got caught by this new ad-card format on my tablet. I never click paid links/ads if I can avoid them. But the new card format in SERPs for tablets no longer uses a different background colour, and the pill that says “Ad” can easily be mistaken for a rich snippet. Note how low contrast the word “Ad” is on the pill.
Well I’ve just got this ad format on desktop. Coming as close to paid insertion as you could get IMO. I wonder how this fits with the recent EU probe into Google’s practices?
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I'm seeing on desktop today too but I'm not as certain it is good for Google. At least the one I was served was bright yellow and I would argue more likely to cause ad blindness, thus driving the click below to organic.
Also noteworthy is the 'Ad' label next to each ad in top position but not in sidebar. This may have unintended effect of raising CTR on sidebar placements. Maybe that is G's hidden agenda
Comment by Josh Gates — November 7, 2013 @ 3:10 am
FWIW the image I posted has the highest contrast on the link text. I'm far more likely to mistake the first link for organic than notice the light yellow pill with low-contrast white text saying "Ad". All IMHO of course.
If they really wanted to differentiate they'd left-align the yellow pill with the ad link, and indent the ad link by a corresponding distance.
Comment by Richard Hearne — November 7, 2013 @ 3:56 am
Just saw on of those on the iPad. That pill does blend in when scanning all right
Comment by Keith Bohanna — November 7, 2013 @ 4:53 pm