Update – Thanks to Amit and siong1987 – this is just the latest version of Google’s Related Links.
Speaking of Google testing new types of AdSense ads – Dave from DaveDevelopment just emailed me to show me a new type of ad that he’s seen Google experimenting with. Here’s how it looks (click to enlarge):
It’s a 728×90 banner ad with pictures inset into the ad next to the text of the ad and with tabs along the top that seems to be titled ‘related’ with some tabs after it under the headings of ‘searches’, ‘web pages’ and ‘video’.
I’m not sure how these ads work as I’ve not seen one live in action – but they seem to be another ad format that lets readers of a site choose what they want to see (similar to Chitika’s eminimalls).
This will be an interesting one to watch!
wow! The new ad format looks great!
Well this is something new. I would think that CTR would initially increase because just from curious visitors.
Seems like it would bring in higher CTR rates… A little more eye catching than plain text or banner ads.
happened to stumble unto the site. i gotta say this place is good! nice stuff you have. will be checking back. =)
regards.
Wow this will will be good.Better than link units.Moreover you can just remove the ads after posts and use this.Superb
They kind of look like Omakase ads from Amazon. I expect we’ll see more like this from all the competition eventually.
Darren – I think that’s a Google Related Links unit, not an Adsense ad.
I have to agree with everyone, It does seem as if it will be have better CTR than the current leaderboard style.
this is exciting to see google so keen in improving their ad styles, and really taking initiative.
it’s much better than the currrent style
hope to see it soon
you could be right Amit – although they seem to be being run in AdSense unit blocks too.
Amit, you are right. That is Google Related Links unit. To get more infos on this, readers can visit http://www.google.com/relatedlinks/faq.html.
Anyway, if you are interested in putting such an “ad” in your blog, you can register one here – http://www.google.com/relatedlinks/.
The links I provide above may not work. Just delete the “.” at the end of each link.
Sorry.
This really goes to show how far Google are ahead of all their rivals. Thanks for the heads-up Darren.
I don’t understand they disallow pictures in the ads and then they allow them back again .Using Pics helps alot the CTR like *4 the income without pictures
It’s a nice feature, but other than making the site “a little more useful”, what incentive is there for webmasters to add more javascript and overhead to their site, without any monetization?
Interesting to see…. I do wonder if it will be like everything else though – good in the short term – until ad blindness sets in. For example, look at banners (some of which are quite similar to the new adsense ads – ads with actual products) – yet people get used to them, and they end up having a lower CTR than the text ads.
They look good. Click throughs should improve just like when we was allowed to put pictures next to the text ads.
I wonder if you get more money for the clicks though.
Those new ads are looking nice, definitely more appealing than just text ads when it’ll come to CTR.
The new ad style makes me wonder two things:
1. How long will it be before readers, our customers, get upset at amount of bandwidth we use? (Remember, bandwidth for a customer is a relatively fixed item and determines how long a page takes to load.) Personally, I am already at my limit. Google analytics combined with all the other redirects already causes noticeable delay in page loading. (I have 1.5Mbs satellite link.) Bandwidth is not infinite for any one. Pages are becoming such big “mashups” with long load times we are giving readers an opportunity to lose interest before they can read page.
2. Yes, ads are an important part. How long will it be before the quality of reader diminishes as result of “ad intrusion.” You, as blog owner, must start choosing which end of supply chain hyperbola you want to be on (i.e The Long Tail and related ideas). The one you want or the one Google and other “non-blog owner entities” want you on?
(Note: This is not an attack on any particular method, including Google.)
Yeah that doesn’t look like an Ad.
Nick: I’m sure Google always knew that images drew attention to their ads – it was always recommended by the AdSense ‘experts’ as a way of increasing clickthroughs. The difference is that this is within Google’s ad itself, and they can do pretty much what they like with their ads. What they are averse to is site owners putting their own design elements around Google ads that encourage people to click on them. This isn’t ‘allowing them back’, it’s an addition to Google’s ad layout, not how they can be used.
Thank you so much. Ads are very important. It dosent look like an add. Check out my website. http://www.jsstudios.com. I wonder if you get more money for clicks though. They end up having lower text ads. The button ads people repeat clicking. They think its fun. Then it gets more popular.
Those are Google Related Links, as someone else posted, not AdSense ads at all. Someone else posted about this recently thinking they were AdSense ads.
See http://www.google.com/relatedlinks/
Ian
that’s surely not adsense though it would have been great if it had been..else i don’t see why someone would someone want to put it up unless one is really struggling for content
CTR should be improved since Google put image beside the ads
This is the second time in a week I have seen someone mistake the Google related links for Adsense. Does this mean if I place it near an Adsense ad it would be against Google TOS? :)
The new ads look good like that.
This is a ‘related links’ Google banner for which you don’t get paid. Though it would be nice to see Google turning this into a paid option pretty soon.
I wonder if the change in Google policy regarding images being shown alongside ads has come about because google are intending to roll out their own ‘all-in-one’ format that does just that.
At least this way the format of the ad and the images shown should all match up, which wil be an asthetic improvement and will probably see a rise in CTR.
I think its great tha tgoogle are constantly looking to improve their advertising methods, meaning that we get to see fresh presentation and a reduction in ad-blindness.
So, apart from getting a few related links placed on our web sites, do we benefit somehow from placing these Google related units on our web sites?
@ mbm: you actually do not benefit from this related units. I have tried them out just to check what they could deliver as extra for my sites and teh result was 0. Unless you really don’t want to earn cash that is better avoid using it.
But if this gets monetized then there is a future for it.
Google adsense is still a waste of time for most bloggers. T the easiest and most profitable way to earn money from your blog: Demand a cover charge from every visitor.
On my FranWorst.com site, I charge $1.00 per day cover charge. Of course, my visitors get access to wealth-building secrets that put them on the road to unthinkable wealth. Many are millionaires within six weeks. No one has ever complained or asked for their $1.00 back.
How much do I make? Check my daily counter on the bottom right sidebar.
See you on the veranda!
Richard Quick, Esq.
http://www.franworst.com