Last fall, Google was spotted testing a big banner-style ad in search results. As we know, any of these tests can quickly become real features at any time, but it looks like Google has killed this one.
The “banner” appeared on certain branded search results, such as this page for Southwest Airlines:
Google testing sponsored cover photos in SERPs cc: @rustybrick @douglaskwong pic.twitter.com/xN7Z8GHZPa
— Chris Desrochers (@ChrisDesrochers) October 23, 2013
Google said at the time that it was only a small test in the U.S. Keep in mind, Googe conducts roughly 20,000 search experiments every year.
Still, a lot of people called out Google for this one, saying it was breaking a promise it made. In 2005, the company said, “There will be no banner ads on the Google homepage or web search results pages. There will not be crazy, flashy, graphical doodads flying and popping up all over the Google site. Ever.”
Whether or not this ad could be considered a “doodad” is debatable I suppose. Either way, Google’s Amit Singhal said in a keynote at SMX West that the test is over. It reportedly ran with about 30 advertisers.
Image via Twitter