The screenshots above show a Google Ireland search for web design (left) and a Google US search for web design (right). The Google UK search looks the same as Google US. So does Google BE, DK, DE, HK, FR… Google are experimenting with the appearance of AdWords in Ireland.
I’ve mentioned before that conventions are our friends. But Google are so big, they set their own conventions (look how many search engines copied the appearance of their results). Now, Google are purposely breaking these conventions to grab our attention. Check the before and after of what I see when I use Google.
This change will increase their AdWords revenue by at least 10% if not more. That is, until this colour becomes the new convention and they need to use radioactive green…
UPDATE: That statement about their revenue is ridiculous. I should say it’ll increase clicks on the top-level ads by at least 10%.
5 Comments
Hi Eoghan,
Another difference between Google’s sponsored links is in their placement.
If you search for David Airey on Google.co.uk or Google.com you’ll see my sponsored link on the right of the screen. Yet on Google.ie the link now appears above the search results, giving it more prominence.
I didn’t pay for the sponsored link. It was free, and there are still some places left in the scheme.
Read more about it here:
http://www.davidairey.com/blog/get-free-google-yahoo-and-msn-sponsorship/
I just tested your theory from an English IP within work. A search for web design on google.co.uk brings up the blue headed adwords block as you have documented but I get the same blue headed block from google.ie for the same search term.
The only difference between the two is the spelling between Advertising Programs (IE) and Advertising Programmes (UK)
I read somewhere that Google often runs experiments where certain audiences get served “test pages” so that they can run usability tests, get metrics etc. - maybe you are in one of those zones, or happened across it by chance. Here’s a previously reported example: http://www.salvatore-aranzulla.com/?p=554
I’m still seeing it. Do you not see the cream / yellow background when you use Google.ie, Stewart?
I’m using Flock, on a PC XP, and I see a blue background - I’m searching on google.ie for “webdesign” and it doesn’t change if I select “pages from Ireland”.
*OT - On my google.com personalised homepage I see a really nice fox that does different things depending on the time of day…