Breaking news! Google Search Results are now displaying paid-search advertisements in a radically different way. You may not have noticed this morning, but the traditional 3-placements with trailing ads off to the right side are no more. Instead, Google Ad Placements now display placements above the organic search results, with more ads directly below the organic results. The end result is a more seamlessly blended paid/organic presentation, in line with how Google Ads have long appeared on mobile devices.

How this effects you:

  • More opportunity – Google has been testing this change for the last 5 years at least. They’ve made an all-in switch, which means that they found more people were clicking, and that more clicks were converting into sales. Take advantage of the change!
  • The value of your “Ad Position” is now completely different. It will be more important to be in positions 1-4, as positions 5-7 are now much further down the page.
  • Talk with your paid-search manager! We optimize for things like “Target Positions,” where you might have been shooting to be in the first 3 positions. Now, your target is 33% larger!

So, there you go! Keep an eye out on your paid-search results over the next several weeks. This is a comparatively huge change for Google! If you’re looking for more info, download our paid-search launch checklist. If you’d rather have a personalized analysis, feel free to shoot me an email at kevinm@spectruminc.com and our paid-search experts will review your account to offer lead-generating suggestions.