June 03, 2008 | Tuesday

Google’s merchant search: A bad thing for comparison sites?

By Duncan Fisher - Head of Paid Search  in Latitude Publications |Marketing |PPC |Search Engines |Google |Search Expertise |Search Technology

Providing the beta is successful, it will not be long until Google’s merchant search product is released to adwords advertisers within the financial services market. There have been recent product releases from Google that have failed to have a huge impact in the paid search market, but this latest product could well be a good money spinner for the search engine giant.

The merchant search application will offer a comparison service to users, detailing providers relevant to their particular search. Below is an example of what the new ad will look like:

The user will then be directed to the Google Merchant search site, an example of which can be found here.

This new feature may well prove successful for Google and not so for the aggregator sites. If it is to be positioned at the top of the paid search listings then it will naturally have an advantage over the rest of the listings. The format of the ad is also different and could well achieve high CTRs, so it will be interesting to see if this then has a detrimental affect on the CTRs and ultimately quality scores of other ads. Another thing to consider is user experience and knowledge / understanding of what they’re actually looking at when using the service. Will they realise that it is not an impartial service as the providers listed are not necessarily a reflection of what is available in the market? The initial trial is for secured loans and if it works expect to see it released to the wider market for financial services.

Add your opinion

Name: Email: (will be encrypted, to protect against email harvesters) Location: URL:
Save your details in a cookie

Notification of follow-up comments

Enter the security code