Google Comparison Ads

Google comparison ads are a really interesting feature and I was excited to stumble across them. This search feature is only available in the mortgage industry for now, but lets users compare rates against each other.
“If you’re looking for a mortgage, you really care about a specific offer. You want to know the APR and based on your specific circumstances, which is something that AdWords doesn’t provide today,” said Nick Fox, director of business product management for AdWords at Google.
In the new system, those who search for “mortgage” or “refinance” or related terms may see a special ad from Google itself inviting them to view offers, like this:

Clicking on the ad takes you to a comparison page like this:

The service is currently only offered in the US and even there, not for every state. The service is rolling out slowly.

Ads are sold on a cost-per-lead basis. When someone clicks to receive a quote, the advertiser is forwarded the information and billed. The advertiser also receives no personal information about the person. In fact, they don’t even get the person’s real phone number. Google provides a temporary bridging number that connects the advertiser to the customer. After that, it’s up to the customer to provide their own “real” number if they want follow-up, Fox said.

This search tactic can certainly be expanded into other categories in the future, and is a hint for what’s in store.

Well, I hope that you enjoyed this post and those earlier in the chapter. I enjoyed being your guide.

If you missed any of the first three installments of my Google Sneak Peek series, you can find them here:

Google Sneak Peek # 1: Ad Sitelinks
Google Sneak Peek # 2: Enhanced Google News
Google Sneak Peek # 3: Enhanced Music Search

Paul Mosenson

Google’s Enhanced Music Search

Notice what happens if you search for “Stevie Wonder” for example? You get this:

Google unveiled a new music search feature making an alliance with those include Lala, Pandora, imeem, MySpace Music and Rhapsody, a subscription service from Real Networks, to give music fans an easier way to find, sample and buy songs on the Internet, expanding its music industry footprint. The search engine partnered with several music service sites that are responsible for streaming the songs on Google’s search results pages. All those partnered have licensing agreements with record labels to stream or sample millions of songs online.

Searching for Stevie Wonder, for instance, will deliver the singer’s album cover art, in addition to four popular songs that users can play once for free. The search results will allow you to play a whole song play to verify it is the song you are looking for rather than just the 30-second stream typical of most major online music providers.

In addition to providing search results, users searching for artists, songs or albums by name will receive links to audio previews and options to purchase tracks or albums from Google’s music search partners MySpace and Lala. The new service is also designed to help users locate songs by lyrics, if they do not know the full titles.

Sounds like a direct challenge to iTunes and Amazon.

For my next and final installment of the Google Sneak Peek series, I’m going to touch on an interesting development seen only in the mortgage industry… but it’s a secret.

If you missed the first two installments of my Google Sneak Peak Series, here’s a link to each:

Google Sneak Peek # 1: Ad Sitelinks
Google Sneak Peek # 2: Enhanced Google News

Paul Mosenson

Enhanced Google News

If anyone reads Google news -  as part of their everyday lives, they can now further customize their news experience by adding sections to their news page. You can also create your own sections and either keep it private or make it available for public consumption. Here’s how you do it: First, click the “Create your custom section” button in the right sidebar (when you’re on a sections page). On the next page, choose a title for your section and then add relevant keywords. As you do, news related to those keywords will appear on the right. This will help you know if you’re choosing the right keywords. Finish filling out the form. If you check the box for public view, you’ll need to add a description and select a category.

Here’s a quick look:

I hope you found this useful. In my next Google Sneak Peek, I’ll review Google’s Enhanced Music Search.

Also, if you missed my first post in the Sneak Peek Series, here’s a link: Google Sneak Peek # 1: Ad Sitelinks

Paul Mosenson

Google Ad Sitelinks

This is a new feature for Pay-per-click advertisers that let you add four additional links under a main text ad.  This feature allows users easier access to deeper content of a website.  Ad Sitelinks makes it easy to update and refresh seasonal or limited-time promotions because the links can change as often as you like.  This is only available to certain advertisers who qualify (Google is of now is not disclosing those qualifications yet only that they are high quality advertisers) However, if an advertiser does qualify, the ads give consumers more options on where to click.

Here’s a dose of what it looks like:

My next sneak peak will touch on Google Enhanced News, so stay tuned.

Paul Mosenson