Google Testing Combinations of Ads and Ad Formats in Image Search Results

In keeping with Google’s habit of conducing AdWords SERPs tests on Fridays like the left side search tool test, the Olympic Logos test, and the “Related to” Ads Segmentation test, another unique test was spotted today for their Image Search pages.

This test appears to be for SERP combinations with and without standard AdWords PPC Text Ads, as well as with product listing ads for searches that appear to be related to ecommerce products. The following screen captures show some of the combinations that were spotted today.

 
Keurig SERP with Both Text Ads and Product Listings Ads

This SERP contained both of the Google AdWords ad formats for Product Listings and Text Ads, with the Top 2 Text Ads loading a couple of seconds after the rest of the page did. That delay caused the product ads and images below to appear to “bump” down.

 
Keurig SERP with Product Listings Ads Only

 
Larger Above-The-Fold Ad Real Estate

The inclusion of the 2 text ads above the image search result listings is quite a bit more advertising real estate, which will undoubtedly equate to a nice increase in ad revenue for big G. The Product Image Ads only account for roughly 90 pixels in height of space. The addition of the 2 text ads increases the space by 180 more pixels high, roughly tripling the area of just the image ads alone. The width is also relatively the same for each version based on the responsive design of these image SERPs.

 
Verifying the Test

In order to verify that this was a true test, we conducted the searches with different computers, browsers and Google Accounts including:

– 3 different computers… 2 laptops and a desktop
– 2 different browsers… Chrome and Firefox
– 3 different Google Accounts

The test was only found on one laptop. The additional text ads did not show up for every search and switched back and forth between including them and not when the same searches were repeated.

 
Additional SERP Test Screen Captures

Here are the additional screen captures that I saved while searching and re-searching these queries. As I said previously, this test only showed up on 1 laptop. The other computers showed roughly the same search result listing pages, minus any versions containing the AdWords pay per click text ads.

– Minneapolis Homes Image Search With Text Ads that show up after a short delay.

– Minneapolis Homes Image Search Without Ads.

– K-9 Dryers Image Search With Product Listing and Text Ads that show up after a short delay.

– K-9 Dryers Image Search With Only Product Listing Ads.

– Keurig Image Search With Product Listing and Text Ads that show up after a short delay.

– Keurig Image Search With Only Product Listing Ads.

 
Special Shout-outs to Brian Gaspar (@BGaspar), Paid Search Marketing Analyst at Pet Edge, and Chris Kostecki (@chriskos), Search Analyst at Keurig Coffee, for originally drawing me to these searches.