Google Previews New Search Ads [PICS]

As Google continues to innovate with Google Chrome OS and build new products like Google Wave, it might seem as if they’re leaving their core business — search — to gather dust. A few recent developments are proving otherwise.
You may recall that Google acquired AdMob in the hopes of gaining market share and attention in the mobile search space, and yesterday they also announced the acquisition of Teracent, for improved targeted display ads.
Today, the company is talking up another new development around search: new ad formats. Google is actively testing and developing new ad formats, some already live in the US, and incorporating visual elements, more links to specific pages, location and maps, comparison ads, and even images and prices for specific products.

The new ad formats are designed to capture your attention and provide you with more relevant and contextual information that you don’t typically expect from ads. The visual elements in ads mean that should you search for a movie title, you might see an ad with a trailer that you can watch on the search results page.

Plus, if you’re searching for local products or businesses, one of the new ad formats you’ll see is a map that pinpoints a nearby shop, or a map that highlights all the surrounding locations of a particular chain.

According to Google’s blog post on the new ad formats, you’re also about to experience ads that help you with comparison and price-point shopping. Here’s their description of how these ads will function:

“You might spot ads that include images and prices for specific products. When shopping for the ski outfit your nephew has been hinting about all year, you might see pictures from the retailer’s inventory to help you quickly determine if they have the color and style you had in mind.”
Still other ad formats may introduce new ways of presenting information, such as Comparison Ads, which allow you to specify exactly what you’re looking for and to compare rates and prices in a single location. With the approaching new year comes resolutions to get things in order, so you might want an ad that lets you see side-by-side refinancing offers.”

Ideally the new ad formats will serve up content that searchers can actually use, and may blur the lines between an advertisement and valuable content. What’s your take on the new formats? Share your thoughts in the comments.

$Boopathi$, November 25, 2009