Google Is At It Again! PPC Advertisers Beware

The big Google news this week is that it has changed how it presents Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising. Previously, Google presented three paid ads at the top of the page and then six or seven down the right-hand side of the search results. Now, Google presents four ads at the top of the page and no ads along the side. See the image below. A search for “plastic surgery san diego,” now generates no PPC ads on the right side of the page, and four ads on top. It remains to be seen what Google will do with that large blank side space. We are sure Google will use it to generate more revenue in some way.

Also, this change makes the top four PPC ads more expensive, as advertisers will obviously be willing to pay more to be in the top four, since the number five spot rolls to the bottom of the page. We are studying this issue carefully and are positioning our clients’ to take advantage of this change to enhance their digital marketing strategies and of course, ROI.