Google has mixed its search ads between and throughout the organic (free) search results starting sometime mid-last year. Google calls it dynamic ad placement, and it is an ongoing tests. In fact, Google had to change its definition of top ads to make way for this historically very unGoogle-like move.
In the past week or so, I’ve been getting more and more messages and questions around the topic of why am I seeing ads in the middle of the search results and not at the top or bottom of the search results, separated clearly above or below the organic results. Well, Google is testing dynamic ad placement and has been since last year and I guess now Google may have dialed it up a bit more?
Nate Louis posted an example of this on X last night, saying, “Just saw a Google ad showing smack dab in the middle of organic listings…”
I asked Google’s Ginny Marvin if Google dialed it up and she responded on X, “As you noted, this is not uncommon. We have been experimenting with dynamic ad placement on search for more than a year.”
Here is that post:
As you noted, this is not uncommon. We have been experimenting with dynamic ad placement on search for more than a year.
— AdsLiaison (@adsliaison) November 6, 2024
As you noted, this is not uncommon. We have been experimenting with dynamic ad placement on search for more than a year.
So, the question of it was dialed up was not specifically answered but yea, Google is testing showing ads mixed in with the Google free listings and it seems more are seeing it in the past week than ever before (but I don’t have confirmation of that last part).
Forum discussion at X.
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