Google has confirmed reports it is now showing three ads, not two, on mobile search results for some queries. While two ads has long been standard, Google has tested showing three ads in the past. Now, three ads is the new norm for many search queries.
Interestingly, when Google shows three ads (as above, at left) ad extensions are limited, with the result that three ads take up much the same screen space as do two.
Why should you care?
With more mobile ads being shown, AdWords advertisers can expect to see increases in mobile ad impressions and lower mobile cost per click prices. Mobile ad clickthrough rates may also decline, however.
As for organic search traffic, referrals from mobile devices may fall. And, as mobile device usage increases, this would slow any growth in total visits from organic search.
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Jeremy is a Partner and Senior Consultant at SureFire. Jeremy has been working in search since 1996, when he joined the Australian search engine, LookSmart. After relocating to San Francisco, he was instrumental in the development of the company’s paid search ad platform. At analytics company Coremetrics (now owned by IBM) he established an in-house search agency managing campaigns for Coremetrics clients such as Macy’s, Bass Pro and Lands End. At Acxiom he managed members of the pioneering SEO firm Marketleap and worked with clients such as Capital One, American General Finance and Kaiser Health. Joining SureFire in 2009, he is the head of Paid Search Advertising and oversees the delivery of AdWords and other PPC campaigns. He also helps clients make sense of their website data.
