Google has finally dropped the Google Checkout Badges which have been part of the AdWords listings for four plus years! We were never really sure if they had a tremendous impact on click through rates or conversions, but we do know they eventually also removed them from the AdSense listings.
Here is a picture of the original Google Checkout Badge, then what we had for a few years and now how it looks with it being gone:
Here is the official Google word on this:
Please be aware that as of June 2011, the Google Checkout badge has been removed from AdWords ads.This change impacts badges that appear on google.com and google.co.uk search results. This includes the standard and promotional Checkout badge for both merchants and non-profits.
Badges and filtering on Google Product Search results are not impacted by this change. Learn more about displaying badges on Product Search results.
Are you upset it is gone? I mean, I guess how much can Google fit on an ad? They have the ratings, various AdWords extensions, live previews and now the Google +1 icons. I guess it was simply too much.
Hat tip to eCommerce Circle for informing me about this.
Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.
