A new advertising feature involving paid search results is being tested by Google. The company is adding endorsements from third-party sources to Search Ads. The level of testing for this is quite small. It will be interesting to know the impact on the performance.
According to a social media post by Sarah Blocksidge, director of marketing at Sixth City Marketing, there was an ad for Delta Airlines that displayed “Best for Frequent Travellers – PCMag” under the product description. This clearly was indicated to their potential customers as a way to make a positive endorsement.
A Google representative has confirmed that the experiment is under a limited testing phase. According to another representative, Google is looking to add third-party endorsements from outside publishers.
But advertisers will likely be limited in how they use endorsements; they won’t control when endorsements appear, if and when to opt in, or to whom a source is attributed. Before opening up this potential program to other advertisers, Google seems to be finalizing its parameters and policies.
Currently, there is evidence that Google’s experiment with integrating social signals, such as user-generated content, into its paid search results is still in its early stages. Google has not yet indicated when or how widely they may eventually implement this feature. Furthermore, no information has been released by Google regarding how this experiment may relate to their existing partnerships with publishers or other projects focused on establishing trust and safety.
If Google ultimately chooses to expand this current study beyond the initial stage of research and begin offering it to advertisers, it may change the way people view sponsored listings within the context of a search. Advertisers who have established credibility through positive third-party endorsement may now be better positioned to beat out competition in competitive keyword auctions by providing social proof within their search advertisements.
The built-in social proof of these types of endorsements would be similar to reviews for products. If successful, editorial endorsements could also help increase trust and improve click-through performance on a search engine marketing campaign by establishing credibility on the Search Engine Result Page.
It is important that the marketers keep an eye on this test as there are possibilities that Google may reach out their viability to their advertisers. They will also have to find new ways to adapt to this strategy when advertising is made through paid search.
Encouraging reputable media outlets and websites to write product reviews about your products or services can be a crucial component in building your online reputation and credibility through mentions outside of paid search advertising, which can demonstrate social proof when running paid Google ads search campaigns.
Coming to an end, currently, this new experimental feature is likely only a prototype of a potential future program, but it represents the growing trend toward incorporating external signals and trust signals where applicable in Google search advertising.
