New look for ads above natural results on Google

Over the past few years, the sponsored links above the search results have been displayed in a box with a blue background that a user can click on in order to reach an advertiser's landing page.


According to Daniel Dulitz, Product Manager for the Google.com ads user interface, Google has decided to make changes to the display of the ads "to improve the experience of our users and advertisers."


The first change is the actual look of the ads. Google has been testing the background color of the ads for months, and have decided to change the background color from blue to yellow.


The second change modifies what counts as a click in the box, which is not consistent with the ads on the right side of the natural results. Previously, any click in the blue box would count as a click and send the user to the advertiser's landing page. Now, users must click on the link in the top line of an ad in order to be taken to the advertiser's website.


This combination of changes will lower click through rates, but it will likely improve ROI because the ads are more visible and more qualified traffic will be directed to the advertiser's website, instead of inadvertant clicks. In addition, it will improve the overall user experience, since users won't be redirected from the search page due to an accidental click.


Google details the changes on the Inside AdWords blog.