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New banner ads push actual Google results to bottom 12% of the screen

arstechnica.com

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Re: New banner ads push actual Google results to bottom 12% of the screen

#51

Post by subsystem »

killwhitey wrote: post #46
anon1385 wrote: post #31

Page 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,…

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…

"The real question is will I be seeing a banner for Southwest when I search for JetBlue."

It's not so much what you are going to see, as what you're not going to see. I'm sure BP is happy to buy a shiny image ad and take traffic away from wikipedias article on the deepwater horizon oil spill.

Re: New banner ads push actual Google results to bottom 12% of the screen

#52

Post by kyro »

thetrb wrote: post #16
spindritf wrote: post #6

Someone searching for Southwest Airlines is probably looking for... Southwest Airlines. So the very first result is a useful one. With sections of the official website conveniently linked and a pretty picture on top. This sounds to me like a complete non-issue. If you don't like ads, install AdBlock. Of course if you need clicks for your website, carry on.

But if you're searching for Southwest Airlines then why do you want to get an ad for Southwest Airlines instead of just a neutral link to their homepage? I understand ads for terms like "cheap tickets", but why would I want an ad for the term "Southwest Airlines"?

Because to check-in for a flight or lookup my reservation I have to 1) search Google for the airline and pick the official site out of the list of all similarly styled links and 2) navigate the airline's site for the exact page I need.

This makes it much, much easier now that all I have to do is search for the airline and click the section I want from the box at the top that signifies that what I'm about to click is the exact official site I'm looking for.

Re: New banner ads push actual Google results to bottom 12% of the screen

#53

Post by aegiso »

Whoa, I just had a flash forward to 2030.

First, probe the outrage machine for banners for particular brands. Then for a huge price tag, add lightweight widgets to the SERP for brands so searchers can e.g. buy tickets from the Google Search page. This is hailed by the brands as increasing sales dramatically. Demand for this feature grows.

Once significant numbers are using the SERP widgets, make the banners/widgets part of general non-brand search. Natural next step. A little bit of outrage, but at this point it just gets muffled by the masses. Life goes on.

All of these brands are getting increasingly dependent on Google's SERP widgets, which give Google huge leverage power. One deal leads to another and before you know it Google starts buying up airlnes to streamline everything.

So in 2030 we're flying Google Air using a Google phone to buy tickets to the Google Movies, to see a film made by a studio wholly owned by Google.

I'm not even saying this is a Bad Thing (tm). Just that if I were heading Google this would totally be my game plan.

Re: New banner ads push actual Google results to bottom 12% of the screen

#54

Post by joshuahedlund »

aresant wrote: post #42

There was an interesting earlier this year from EBAY showing that there was ZERO value to buying their own brand keywords from Google (when their organic keywords ranked high). In fact spending money on their own brand keywords generated signifigant negative ROI (1). So my guess is that this strategy from Google is designed to provide brands with a first step to generating actual value from Google search results. I c…

Perhaps, but Google has already been claiming[1] that such spending provides positive value (though I have no idea how true that is for whatever brands they're pursuing here)

[1] http://searchengineland.com/ebay-says-adwords-ineffective-go... > On average, 50% of the ad clicks that occurred with a top rank organic result are incremental, i.e., they would not be recovered organically if the ad campaign is paused.

Re: New banner ads push actual Google results to bottom 12% of the screen

#55

Post by Mikeb85 »

mhurron wrote: post #20
Mikeb85 wrote: post #10

What did he expect when searching for Southwest Airlines? He got their website and links to flights. I just did a few searches for educational topics, got no ads. ... I would say there isn't a problem...

Well now, at the moment it is just a pilot program (heh) But lets assume it doesn't say that way and someone around here needs to search for something like oh Visual Studio (something or other) Xcode git integration Now imagine the glorious Microsoft or Apple ad covering 88% of the screen. Still don't see the problem? An ad targeted the way this one is isn't useful for anything other than gauging reaction. For it to…

Just tried a few searches. 'Visual Studio' brings you to it's product page, as well as MSDN. 'Visual Studio' + an additional search term brings up only 'search' results...

Re: New banner ads push actual Google results to bottom 12% of the screen

#56

Post by jrockway »

LeafyGreenbriar wrote: post #36

I was worried when I saw this headline, and then very relieved when I saw what was actually going on. So long as Google only returns these sponsored ads for searches for the company name, I don't see this as being a problem at all, given the fact that many users are using the address bar integrated search in place of bookmarking or typing URLs. Where this would become a problem is if they start expanding this to sear…

I was under the impression that Southwest didn't let third party sites take reservations for them.

Re: New banner ads push actual Google results to bottom 12% of the screen

#57

Post by tn13 »

I am not sure why this is a bad thing as such. Google does not owe us to give the search results. Google owes advertisers a good return for their money and they will optimize it in whatever way they can. At least they are not being like Ask or Conduit.

Re: New banner ads push actual Google results to bottom 12% of the screen

#58

Post by ChuckMcM »

killwhitey wrote: post #46
anon1385 wrote: post #31

Page 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,…

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 much better they are than the other guys. This is great for Google, now Southwest has to pay to advertise or get side swiped by a competitor, and because its an auction system their competitor can bid up the keywords to negatively impact Southwest, forcing higher ad rates. Win win win for Google, not so great for Southwest Airlines).

Re: New banner ads push actual Google results to bottom 12% of the screen

#59

Post by bennyg »

subsystem wrote: post #51
killwhitey wrote: post #46

Earlier 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…

"The real question is will I be seeing a banner for Southwest when I search for JetBlue." It's not so much what you are going to see, as what you're not going to see. I'm sure BP is happy to buy a shiny image ad and take traffic away from wikipedias article on the deepwater horizon oil spill.

Unless that ad doesn't knock the Deepwater Horizon down past the fold, and it paints BP in a terrible light. It can go both ways.

Re: New banner ads push actual Google results to bottom 12% of the screen

#60

Post by AJ007 »

kyro wrote: post #52
thetrb wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But if you're searching for Southwest Airlines then why do you want to get an ad for Southwest Airlines instead of just a neutral link to their homepage? I understand ads for terms like "cheap tickets", but why would I want an ad for the term "Southwest Airlines"?

Because to check-in for a flight or lookup my reservation I have to 1) search Google for the airline and pick the official site out of the list of all similarly styled links and 2) navigate the airline's site for the exact page I need. This makes it much, much easier now that all I have to do is search for the airline and click the section I want from the box at the top that signifies that what I'm about to click is…

That is incorrect. Currently for "southwest airlines" in the US, sub links for their organic listing include:

-Check in Online -Book Travel Award -Check Flight Status -Special Offers -Flight Schedules -Customer Service

This may be different in other countries. I am inclined to believe this is showing for nearly all US users as I have seen these direct links for airlines for quite some time.

What Southwest is doing is trading their free clicks for paid ones.

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