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A WebmasterWorld thread has reports of searchers noticing a new ad format available for hotels. The ad came up for a search on [las vegas hotels], although I cannot replicate it myself, and you see the typical comparison ads.
Matt McGee posted a picture of the ad on Search Engine Land:
This seems to be powered by the comparison ad feature, along with Google's hotel finder tool, as we also saw in the maps results.
Alex posted at WebmasterWorld saying:
This is an extremely aggressive move by Google. They will eat up the clicks share for these valuable keywords, drive more traffic to Hotel Finder and ultimately command higher rates that OTA's will have to pay to play. If this strategy works, Kayak is in big trouble. I see the exact same thing happening for Flight searches.
How do you feel?
Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.
Comments:
Michael Cropper
12/15/2011 01:33 pm
I did a blog post about this yesterday as it is showing for 'London Hotels' query too, http://mic.cx/tPYpEu, and it is shocking what they are doing. Attacking every industry.
Dixon
12/15/2011 04:56 pm
There has to be a point for Google where entering a new market sector loses more revenue than it gains, surely? Maybe not. Maybe the idea is that Hotels go direct to Google. not through an intermediary. Google must have decided that they in the intermediary space, not the search space, so any business in that space is fair game. Affiliates... comparison sites... Wikipedia... Oxford English Dictionary... Persobnal Assistants... Accountants... lawyers.... I wonder when we'll see engineering structures designed by Google instead of architects? But is that bad? I think it is an abuse of a monopoly. But US laws don't seem to see that as a bad thing, so unless Fox News readers start changing their spots then I think Google feels morally in the right. Mind you... on the plus side... Fox News readers will be out of a job soon enough thanks to Google. So this move towards being the fountain of all wisdom is not all bad.
Nick Roshon
12/15/2011 05:59 pm
Jeez that's a lot of Paid ads. They might as well cut to the chase and kill off organic results altogether at this point. On my 14.1 widescreen laptop that query wouldn't even show one organic result above the fold.
David Carle
12/15/2011 08:35 pm
and another search vertical completely driven by paid traffic...
Alex
12/15/2011 08:52 pm
It's a pretty blatant abuse of power. People who say 'Google can do what they want' clearly do not understand the ramifications of this move. Google is manipulating their own search ecosystem which means we now compete on unfair terms. If not addressed, these situations can lead to monopolistic systems. Advertisers pay a lot of money per click to appear prominently in SERP's. If Google places an ad above that, the value of the auction diminishes along with their bottom line.
Troy Hartenstine
12/19/2011 05:35 pm
And you will see the same Comparison Ads for automobiles anytime...soon.
hartenstine
12/19/2011 05:38 pm
And you will see the same Comparison Ads for automobiles anytime...soon.
Michael Cropper
12/20/2011 11:20 pm
The jobs market is also one where Google hasn't entered into.....yet.