Local Adwords Ads Dominate

This morning I spoke of the Google Hotel experiment that made search results into interactive local content. It is not clear if this is the new normal or a test but on this search for bed and breakfast St. Augustine and every hotel search, Adwords with Location Extensions and Adwords Express are now showing as interactive local content on hotel searches. No non local ads need apply.

By changing the dates of the visit, a hotel searcher remains on the search results page and sees a changing display display of local hotels that one presumes are available during those dates. The local ads, dominating the page, either point to the Places page with the booking tool as opposed to the hotel website or provide an instant choice to book via Google’s Hotel booking ad via on the online travel agencies.

The highest blended result is now below the fold and with it, the first link to TripAdvisor or any 3rd party review site.

Whoah dude! Must be that Google doesn’t think organic results can be as useful to searchers as ads.

(Click to view larger)

The results are similar with the 7-pack showing, although obviously more local results:

The New Google Menu

I haven’t been following Google tests other than in local but this new black menu appears in everything BUT Maps, News and Gmail:

Related posts:

  1. Google Places Search – 8, 9 or More Local Results to a Page – This is not a test, I repeat, this is not a test…
  2. Google Continues to Test Integrated Local and Organic Results
  3. Google Confirms Local Adwords Display Test