If it wasn’t pointed it out, many of you probably wouldn’t notice, but Google confirmed yesterday that it is now trialling banner ads in their search engine. A sample of which was posted yesterday by @SynrgyHQ
Google testing sponsored cover photos in SERPs cc: @rustybrick @douglaskwong pic.twitter.com/xN7Z8GHZPa
— Synrgy (@SynrgyHQ) October 23, 2013
It is not uncommon when searching for specific companies that a basic ad at the top of the web page will appear before the first result, but judging by the above sample, this banner-ad will be linked in with the top search result. Google spoke to Mashable and confirmed this is a “limited test that is only being carried out in the US.*
What makes it more interesting?
Well in 2005 Google made a “no banner-ads promise” – a promise that, seven years later, they are now planning on breaking. They stated on their Google blogspot: “There will be no banner ads on the Google homepage or web search results pages. There will not be crazy, flashy, graphical doodads flying and popping up all over the Google site. Ever.”
Will it be successful?
The above example is verging more towards classy, than “crazy, flashy”, however, Google is characterised by its simplicity, a simplicity we are all very familiar with. The blue writing and the white background, this change may not be as well received as Google hope.
