The State of Search, Part 2: Google’s Game-Changing New Features

Google has been very busy. Last week, we took a closer look at just a few of the many new features Google has been rolling out that are changing the way we search. While last week’s focus was mainly on organic search, this week we’re showcasing three more new features that are changing the arena of paid search.

New Ad Formats

For quite some time, Google has been developing and testing new ad formats, and formally announced these on their blog in November. The new ad formats include rich media such as images and video, as well as maps, additional links, and other useful info.

For example, a search for Disney’s holiday hit A Christmas Carol might turn up an ad with an embedded video, like this:

Right now, users will have to click on the “+” symbol to start watching the video; but Google is also looking at thumbnail photos that will lead to videos, as well as other options, but they are taking a cautious approach. The old saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” comes to mind.

Although some new formats have been around for more than a year, they are now available in the US, are becoming more prevalent, and are certainly worthy enough to be included in this announcement. Google’s goal is, and has always been, to provide a better search experience; to give people the information they need, when they need it, no matter what form it appears in. The new ad formats are exciting additions to Google’s offerings, and will definitely make paid search more engaging.

Sitelinks

Another great addition to the new ad format lineup is “Sitelinks”, or ads with more links. Sitelinks are sub-listings that appear under the original listing, and they give the advertiser the opportunity to send searchers to other places on their site that may not have been possible before. This product is currently in Beta, available only in San Diego and San Francisco, and is completely automated. If the link structure of your site does not allow for Google’s algorithms to find good sitelinks or if the sitelinks aren’t relevant to the search inquiry, they will not be shown. If they are shown and you don’t feel they are appropriate, they can be blocked.

Googles official statement on the test: “As part of our ongoing commitment to help users find the information they’re looking for online, we are testing a feature in which links to various pages of an advertiser’s website may appear within the text ads on Google.com. Presenting multiple landing page options is intended to make specific website information such as gift registries, special deals, store locators and the like more easily accessible to users. It also offers brand marketers a new way to quickly engage potential customers. This feature is currently in a limited beta with a small number of advertisers.”

New Pharmaceutical Ad Formats

Earlier this year, the FDA cracked down on the pharmaceutical industry’s use of sponsored links in paid search ads. Since then, there has been a dramatic drop in search ad spending for the industry, and it has certainly affected search engines. According to ComScore, “Pharmaceutical marketers suffered an 84 percent drop in ‘sponsored link exposure’ in the three months following a search advertising crackdown by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).” John Mangano, Vice President of ComScore said, “Many pharma companies have largely abandoned paid links on Google, Yahoo, and other general search engines after receiving warnings from the FDA that those ads lack sufficient disclosure. They’re saying, ‘We’re not going to spend on this because we got our hands slapped.’”

Google solicited informal feedback from the DDMAC (Division of Drug Marketing, Advertising, and Communications) for potential new ad formats, but was told that mock-ups canot be presented for formal comments or approval. The ads must be in context, as used for an actual pharmaceutical product/brand campaign. Therefore Google has initiated a beta program to begin working with pharmaceutical companies and their agencies to create and submit these new formats to DDMAC for pre-clearance.

Proposed Product Claim Ad:

Proposed Boxed Warning Ad:

Notes about these ads:

• “Warning” in product claim ad is static (fixed) and unmovable. The remaining 62 characters are advertiser-defined.
• The “More Info” link in both ads should link to an HTML page with safety and prescribing information (it cannot be linked to a PDF).
• Clicks on the hyperlinked ad headline will lead to an advertiser-designated landing page.

AstraZeneca, manufacturers of the Yaz birth control drug with a boxed warning label, is one of the advertisers that is participating in this beta program. If approved, it is likely that all pharmaceutical companies will be adopting this approach within the next year.

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