Google's Top 3 New Format - Blurring the Line Between Organic & Paid

[searchengineman]

If You have not seen the announcement check here.

http://adwords.blogspot.com/2011/02/longer-headlines-for-select-ads-on.htm

Combined with the lower casing of display URL's (2 weeks ago), This combination will (disguise?) give more of an appearance to paid search ADS to appear more organic(Like?). Yes this will obviously increase CTR and create more real estate below the fold, for the top 3 positions.

As an advertiser this may be good.

But I strongly feel this could be detrimental in the long term. Google is dangerously trying to combine Church(paid) and State(organic results),

If the average user percieves the organic results may be just paid placements..this could further decrease the trust factor behind Google's results. Lose that and it reduces Googles brand, and hurts advertisers.

Anyone else think I'm out to lunch on this?

Searchengineman

[AussieWebmaster]

they want to draw more attention, get more clicks and make more money

[rodhull]

Some more examples from the UK here:

http://www.periscopix.co.uk/blog/goo...arch-ad-style/

I'd be very interested to know if anyone has seen examples with exclamation marks in them. Google don't normally allow exclamations in ad headlines so I suspect if you have one in your first description line, this won't get promoted into the ad headline. Something to bear in mind when writing your ads.

[rodhull]

Update: We've just spotted some examples with exclamation marks at the end of the description line getting promoted into the ad headline, so that does work!