Oh, the irony... http://i.imgur.com/s3ENzDA.png
New banner ads push actual Google results to bottom 12% of the screen
131–140 of 142 posts
Re: New banner ads push actual Google results to bottom 12% of the screen
#132What are "actual results" for Southwest though? To me it seems like links to check-in, flight status, schedules and customer services is exactly what I'd want to see there. Is the image what you find distracting? But doesn't this give you immediate indication that you got into the right place?
I think the thing people are objecting to is less the image or its associated links, but that that whole thing is an ad . Yeah, it's probably the most relevant result, but it's giving the user (especially if that user is, you know, non-technical ) little choice but to click on the thing that puts money in GOOG's pocket. I can't speak for anyone else, but I find that a little evil.
Come on. I'm not a fan of banner ads but evil? That's an overreaction.
Re: New banner ads push actual Google results to bottom 12% of the screen
#133Disclaimer: I'm a Googler I think this is a pretty disingenuous analysis of what's going on. It's obvious from the comparison to the [Virgin America] search that this is a bigger change that just adding a "banner ad". Notice that for [Virgin America] there are _two_ spots that bring you to virginamerical.com, the ad and the first organic result. This is redundant, wastes space, and probably is confusing to some users…
Maybe Google should just add an (opt in?) option to advertisers: if you're the top result, and would normally have an ad on the page -- we don't show any ads but charge for the click on the regular result. That way you still can't rank #1 by paying for it, but Google gets to present a better UI to the users (less redundant information - less confusion). edit: On a related note - what's the average revenue per user fo…
10 USD is not enough I am afraid.
Google had an ad revenue of 31 billion USD [1] on all Google sites, the biggest part of which is from search (but I can't find the exact number right now). Now there are about 2 billion [2] internet users worldwide (not all of which are Google users - e.g. China) ... Since about 50% of Google revenues comes from the US, the revenue per user in the US is even higher. I don't think this is going to work.
Also take into account the overhead: people who pay generally want support. And then take into account that you could already get this for free if you use an ad blocker. I don't think if most people don't mind ads enough to install an ad blocker, they sure as hell won't pay for an ad free version.
Re: New banner ads push actual Google results to bottom 12% of the screen
#134Earlier quoted context omitted.
What else can you expect from the Empire? Anakin was once a honest Jedi, too. But the evil forces of greed overpowered him :) Choose the path of the Jedi - use DDG! https://duckduckgo.com/
So if DuckDuckGo doesn't have ads ... how exactly do they pay their employees and run their servers? Charity?
It does have ads :)
Re: New banner ads push actual Google results to bottom 12% of the screen
#135Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes, in media buying, this is known as brand protection. It ensures that customers who already are searching for your brand and are therefore more likely to convert don't disappear off to a competitor. Hence ironically companies will often pay more per click for these results than on more unrelated keywords.
When this happens I like to play a little game. If I think the company has loads of money (Apple, Shell), I click the sponsored link and help fill the coffers at Google. Otherwise, I click the search result and save the poor struggling company some cents.
What does this achieve? You're transferring an infinitesimal amount of money from, say, an Apple, to Google.
In turn, Google becomes even more of a monopoly (because previously organic clicks now become paid).
And the money Apple paid Google to win your click will need to come from somewhere. A reduction in some other head (organic optimization?) or from increased prices. We'd like to think it will merely reduce Apple's profit margin, but I doubt it.
Re: New banner ads push actual Google results to bottom 12% of the screen
#136Earlier quoted context omitted.
The main difference seems to be that today even getting the top organic search result doesn't provide enough clicks for advertisers, so they feel obliged to purchase ads for their own brand names even when they already rank first. It should be noted that this instance is simply a test and should not be taken as an indication of how these ads will be purchased. While I'm sure there will be numerous advertisers who fee…
This may be fallout from trademark owners losing their various lawsuits against Google for allowing competitors to advertise on their trademark as keyword. (See this article: http://blog.ericgoldman.org/archives/2013/05/google_crushes.... ) So now they may be the top organic result (or even a navigation result) but JetBlue or United or whatever can buy a banner on top that has their airline telling the searcher how m…
It may not necessarily be a win-win for Google. It could actually make search worse. Consider if I search for Southwest Airlines and get a big Jet Blue banner that takes up 88% of vertical space, this would actually make me very agitated as a search consumer - it's almost the same as displaying a popup ad.
Re: New banner ads push actual Google results to bottom 12% of the screen
#137Page and Brin themselves once pointed out the problems of accepting ads or paid placement, with some rather ironic examples: Furthermore, advertising income often provides an incentive to provide poor quality search results. For example, we noticed a major search engine would not return a large airline's homepage when the airline's name was given as a query. It so happened that the airline had placed an expensive ad,…
It can make sense to buy an ad even if you are the top result. It basically makes your top result take up twice as much room. More room = more clicks. It also pushes any competitor links creeping up below your top result from being above the scroll. And of course, with this new sell out mechanic, you get even more than double the space to shove out your competition.
And a lot of people dont realize the difference between PPC ads and organic results - this is from direct experience at business shows talking to potential customers.
Re: New banner ads push actual Google results to bottom 12% of the screen
#138Wow, that's absolute shit. Horrible, horrible, brain-dead move by Google. It won't happen overnight, but this will inevitably wind up pushing people to seek out a better search engine (read: one that doesn't display huge honkin' banner ads like this) and sooner or later, somebody will come along and offer equal (or better!) search results, nix the banner ad, and eat Google's lunch. Google are so big and powerful that…
I do wonder if this suggestion was the straw that broke the camels back and lead Marissa to yahoo.
Re: New banner ads push actual Google results to bottom 12% of the screen
#139Disclaimer: I'm a Googler I think this is a pretty disingenuous analysis of what's going on. It's obvious from the comparison to the [Virgin America] search that this is a bigger change that just adding a "banner ad". Notice that for [Virgin America] there are _two_ spots that bring you to virginamerical.com, the ad and the first organic result. This is redundant, wastes space, and probably is confusing to some users…
"On the [Southwest Airlines] query you can see that there's no redundant ad anymore - the navigational ad and the first organic result are combined. Calling that whole box and ad, when it contains the same content that the former top organic result used to, is misleading, but makes for a much more sensational headline when you want to claim that most of the screen is ads."
Calling that result an "organic search result" is also misleading, more so than calling it an "ad" considering that it is visually dominating the results page.
Would a fairer headline be "Google experimenting with selling search result placement"?
Re: New banner ads push actual Google results to bottom 12% of the screen
#140Earlier quoted context omitted.
I was under the impression that Southwest didn't let third party sites take reservations for them.
You get booked on them through code shares all the time, though, using other major airlines.
I think you're mistaken. Southwest only codeshares with AirTran, which they own.