Google to Test New Product Ads on Prize Real-Estate

For years, when people have searched Google.com (GOOG), they’ve seen standard text ads with no frills attached. While Google sells other sorts of ads on other Web sites, the overall advertising experience on the search results page hasn’t moved beyond snippets like “Free running shoes” when you search for sneakers, for instance.

That may change. Google is launching a test that will show people who search Google.com for products, like shoes and televisions, an entirely different advertising format known as a “product ad,” the company confirmed Friday.

Unlike text ads, product ads will “feature product specific information directly in the ad such as price and product image,” according to the email Google sent some advertisers inviting them to try out the ads this week. Google said that it would continue to work on the most effective format for the ads and that the ads would “complement standard text ads on Google.com.”

Read the rest of this post on the original site