Last month we reported that Google was testing video ads on the search results pages. Today the campaign has gone live on a wide scale with all US users now being shown video ads within the regular Google search results page.
The screenshot below show the search engine results page when a US-based user searches for a cell phone. On the right hand side, the Blackberry ad includes a + sign with a link saying “Watch demonstration”.
Clicking on the link drops down a small movie pane and a video starts automatically playing within the same page, not in a pop up window nor in a new layer.
The video quality is exceptional as is the sound. The technology used here seems to be similar to the video technology that powers YouTube. The video clip lasts 29 seconds.
The video ends with a button including a link to the landing page on the advertiser’s website. Clicking this link or the title of the ad takes users to the regular website, just like any other sponsored link does. The big difference, though, is the additional branding opportunity that including a video within the ad space offers.
This will revolutionise the search engine advertising industry, as advertisers will now need to think of even smarter and more creative ways to reach consumers. Large brands will benefit from this much more than small businesses, though, as SMEs will not typically have the budget to shoot good quality video commercials for their search listings.
Google has not currently provided any further information on the number of such video clips it will allow on a single search results page. Normally one would assume that they would cap this at a handful of advertisers, because having ten demos on a search results page might not lead to a great user experience.
Screenshot of video ad playing in the regular Google search results page
