For some years now, Google has been the search engine of choice in most countries around the world. The search engine created by Sergey Brin and Larry Page changes its algorithm around 500 times a year, which is why we need to keep our SEO strategy up to date at all times.
On February 22, Google changed its design to, in its own words, adapt it to user needs and to mobile. Although not a drastic change, it affects our Google Adwords strategy and our organic rankings.
What are the changes to Google’s design and why were they made?
The most notable changes Google has made directly affect how Google AdWords ads are displayed. The ad sidebar has disappeared to make room for Google Shopping, and paid results have increased from 3 to 4 at the top and 3 at the bottom of the page. Since this change, ad extensions can be used in the ads shown at the bottom of the page. In addition, a few days ago their color changed from yellow to green.
Google Shopping takes over the right-hand side
The right-hand space on the desktop version isn’t completely forgotten. It may appear empty or show Wikipedia results or Google Shopping ads instead. This is Google’s big bet for the right-hand side, and it’s where we’ll need to focus to sell our eCommerce products.
Besides getting prominent space on Google’s main page, Shopping ads have the advantage of including an image and price, which grabs users’ attention and ends up generating a higher click-through rate (CTR).
Google AdWords color change
This June, the color of Google AdWords ads changed. Previously they had a yellow label with the word “Ad” that clearly set them apart from organic search results.
It’s the second color change, having gone from cream to yellow and now green.
This green is the same color used in the URL of every result, organic or paid, and Google’s intention is to make ads stand out less and look more like organic results.
According to a Google spokesperson speaking to Search Engine Land: “… We’ve been experimenting with a green ad label in search and have decided to roll it out due to positive feedback from users and advertisers…”. You can read the full article here.
What prompted Google to make these changes?
According to the official version, Google wanted to align the desktop and tablet display with the mobile version for two reasons:
- More searches are now made from mobile devices than from any other device.
- The CTR of paid results in the sidebar was between 0% and 4%.
On smartphones, the Google AdWords sidebar wasn’t visible (for space and usability reasons), and only a single list of results appeared, including paid ads and organic results. Since phones are now the devices used for most searches and the trend is rising, many ad impressions were being lost. So Google removed the right-hand ads and standardized the format across all devices. You can read the reasons for this change in this article by Matt Lawson, Director of Ads Marketing at Google.
On the other hand, the unofficial version is that removing the sidebar ads leads to a much steeper rise in CPC, since we have to fight for the top 4 positions if we want to be visible. It also nudges us to create Google Shopping campaigns, which will appear at the top right of the search page.
Finally, with one more ad in the top search results, Google forces us to improve our SEO, since we drop one position in the results and our click-through rate falls. Now more than ever, we need to get into the top 3 search results.
Consequences of removing Google AdWords from the right-hand side
This change in Google’s design has several consequences we’ll need to consider for our upcoming Google AdWords campaigns and our entire online marketing strategy:
- More competition in AdWords auctions. With less space available for ads, competitors will try to appear in the top 4 search results, driving up cost per click (CPC).
- More effective AdWords ads. With no distractions on the right and fewer ads crowding the visible part of the results, our ads will be much more visible and gain CTR if we’re in the top 4.
- Organic results become less visible, especially on mobile devices. This is because more ads will appear in the top results. For example, a mobile search with 4 ads at the top won’t show the first organic result without using the
- More importance for Google Shopping. Google Shopping takes over the right-hand side, replacing Google Adwords.
In short, from an online marketing expert’s perspective, with these changes Google is trying to “camouflage” AdWords ads among organic results to raise CTRs and encourage advertisers to use Google Adwords or Google Shopping.
Following these changes, we recommend spending more time on SEO, constantly monitoring Adwords campaigns and starting to advertise on Google Shopping, where excellent results can be achieved.
Do you know how to set up a Google Shopping campaign? If you don’t know where to start, Trilogi can help.
