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Google breaks 2005 promise never to show banner ads on search results

theguardian.com

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Re: Google breaks 2005 promise never to show banner ads on search results

#201

Post by qeorge »

T-hawk wrote: post #35

It's arguable that queries like [southwest airlines] are even a search. The vast majority of instances are probably URL-illiterate users merely trying to get to Southwest Airlines' web site. (And Google must know rather precisely just how many.) For these users, search is really operating as a natural-language alternative to DNS so such a clickable banner will help them get there. More than just advertising, this rep…

It's arguable that queries like [southwest airlines] are even a search. The vast majority of instances are probably URL-illiterate users merely trying to get to Southwest Airlines' web site. (And Google must know rather precisely just how many.) For these users, search is really operating as a natural-language alternative to DNS so such a clickable banner will help them get there.

If Google would only show Southwest Airlines ads when I searched for [southwest airlines], I might agree. But they won't - they'll let Delta, Orbitz, or anyone else buy that spot (if Google's behavior with other flavors of AdWords is any guide).

Its an ad. No need to rationalize it away as actually being a good thing for the user. Its just a (huge) ad, which hopefully (for Google) won't damage the utility of their product enough to drive too many users away.

Re: Google breaks 2005 promise never to show banner ads on search results

#202

Post by mathattack »

tedunangst wrote: post #197
mathattack wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But is it really any different from a shareholder getting paid versus an employee? These are pension funds and 401ks counting on the money.

Perhaps people invested in Google precisely because they believed in googles vision for a better web. Google has been fairly clear in telling investors, hey there's a line we won't cross. They can't complain. If there's something to complain about, it's sitting on $50 billion in cash and not paying a dividend.

True, though Google seems to be investing the cash fairly aggressively.

Re: Google breaks 2005 promise never to show banner ads on search results

#203

Post by tene »

r0h1n wrote: post #185
AJ007 wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Chrome (v30.0.1599.101 for future reference) -> new tab -> Google + search bar appears above the recent/most popular sites list. I click on the search bar under the Google logo and start typing.. and magically my text does not appear in the text form but rather in the URL field in the navigation bar. What once may have been uneducated behavior is a behavior Google is training users to do.

You're right. Of course Google wants users to search for URLs instead of typing them, because it then gets to show them search results (which can be monetized) instead of just loading up a website. In this case I can understand Southwest may think banner ads help with branding, but what I cannot understand is why so many companies buy the topmost Google text ad even though their websites are already #1 organically?

I've heard apocryphal stories of companies seeing reduced clickthrough on search results when they've tried canceling ads for which they are the top (or only) search result, especially for extremely niche products. The claimed interpretation was that some customers were interpreting the ad as an indicator of legitimacy.

Re: Google breaks 2005 promise never to show banner ads on search results

#204

Post by pbhjpbhj »

derscheister wrote: post #145
pbhjpbhj wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> that corporations exist to maximize // Some, probably most, not all.

Exactly which company doesn't exist to maximize profit?

Well the company I work for as one and any other company that realises the pursuit of money without regard for other ideals is an exercise in destruction and exploitation.

Often co-operatives will fit well in to this category as the workers in a co-operative are rather less likely to malevolently exploit themselves in a disdainful pursuit of profit before humanity.

Re: Google breaks 2005 promise never to show banner ads on search results

#205

Post by judk »

r0h1n wrote: post #185
AJ007 wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Chrome (v30.0.1599.101 for future reference) -> new tab -> Google + search bar appears above the recent/most popular sites list. I click on the search bar under the Google logo and start typing.. and magically my text does not appear in the text form but rather in the URL field in the navigation bar. What once may have been uneducated behavior is a behavior Google is training users to do.

You're right. Of course Google wants users to search for URLs instead of typing them, because it then gets to show them search results (which can be monetized) instead of just loading up a website. In this case I can understand Southwest may think banner ads help with branding, but what I cannot understand is why so many companies buy the topmost Google text ad even though their websites are already #1 organically?

Citation need. Google is on fact doing the opposite. If a chrome user types a URL into the omnibox, they do NOT get a search. Whereas typing a URL into a form field IS a search.

Re: Google breaks 2005 promise never to show banner ads on search results

#206

Post by judk »

canthonytucci wrote: post #192
r0h1n wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're right. Of course Google wants users to search for URLs instead of typing them, because it then gets to show them search results (which can be monetized) instead of just loading up a website. In this case I can understand Southwest may think banner ads help with branding, but what I cannot understand is why so many companies buy the topmost Google text ad even though their websites are already #1 organically?

My guess is so that no one else can get it. The last thing one of these companies would want is a competitor or some kind of unsavory hanger-on diluting their brand with a different message or viagra ads.

If a competitors ad ever showed above a perfectly relevant organic result, THAT would be pitchfork time. Until then, if advertisers want to throw money at Google at as a show of "legitimacy" for brand development, bully for Google.

Re: Google breaks 2005 promise never to show banner ads on search results

#207

Post by dragonwriter »

r0h1n wrote: post #185
AJ007 wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Chrome (v30.0.1599.101 for future reference) -> new tab -> Google + search bar appears above the recent/most popular sites list. I click on the search bar under the Google logo and start typing.. and magically my text does not appear in the text form but rather in the URL field in the navigation bar. What once may have been uneducated behavior is a behavior Google is training users to do.

You're right. Of course Google wants users to search for URLs instead of typing them, because it then gets to show them search results (which can be monetized) instead of just loading up a website. In this case I can understand Southwest may think banner ads help with branding, but what I cannot understand is why so many companies buy the topmost Google text ad even though their websites are already #1 organically?

> but what I cannot understand is why so many companies buy the topmost Google text ad even though their websites are already #1 organically?

Google's organic search takes lots of things into account, some of them personalization; a company that is usually #1 organically won't always be, and buying an ad makes it more likely that people will see your page first.

Re: Google breaks 2005 promise never to show banner ads on search results

#208

Post by judk »

netcan wrote: post #146
T-hawk wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In some cases, it just isn't clear what the right page is. Absolutely. Which is why Google isn't doing this across the board but for carefully selected cases. They'd do it for advertiser clients for whom Google's data demonstrates a vast preponderance of intent to just go to the company's web site by name. I'd bet quite a bit that [southwest airlines] queriers are looking for Southwest's own customer applications (pr…

Google is trialing it for a few carefully selected cases. But even in those cases: - It's not a 100% bet that searchers are looking for the company website. Some will still want stock prices or wikipedia or travel sites or whatnot. For these cases this is a banner funeling more traffic to the company website with a forceful "more pixels" approach. - If the company starts to hit the media for something (especially som…

Look at some point it becomes the user's responsibility to type an extra 5 or 10 characters to disambiguate their intent if they are looking for "news" or "criticism".

Google gets flack for not being an omniscient omnipotent benevolent God, when they are being darn good.

Re: Google breaks 2005 promise never to show banner ads on search results

#209

Post by yaeger »

freehunter wrote: post #36
nodata wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Somebody works in marketing :)

I actually have to agree somewhat, though (and I don't work in marketing). If you search for Southwest Airlines, why should Southwest Airlines not be the top result? Google has been showing pictures and information about people, products, and companies for quite a while now ( https://www.google.com/#q=paul+graham ), and shows commonly visited links off the main page of a website (as shown in that search for Paul Grah…

>If you search for Southwest Airlines, why should Southwest Airlines not be the top result?

Why? Because the homepage of a corporation should not automatically be the top result. If they implemented it that way, they could throw away the entire ranking algos!

What if SW Airlines fucks up one day and masses of reporting about this springs up? Yeah, better to have the big ass advert as top result when people searching for southwest.

Also, I am fairly certain this is just the start. Next step, widen the results. Search just for "Airlines" and get the big ass ad for Southwest on the top. Other airlines see this and also buy ad space. And pretty soon when you search for "best airline" you will be presented with a page that makes you wonder if you did an image search by accident.

Re: Google breaks 2005 promise never to show banner ads on search results

#210

Post by mcguire »

raldi wrote: post #199
makomk wrote: post #187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The difference is that one is what Google think will be the most useful results for users, and the other is what Google think will make them the most money regardless of usefulness.

What if Google can't decide which store is most relevant? Is it okay to use revenue as a tiebreaker?

Why stop there? Why just use it as a tiebreaker? Heck, why not only display links for people who pay you?

Oh wait, you just stopped being (a) a search engine, and (b) useful.

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