Google is experimenting with enormous banner advertisements for queries that are associated with brands. Digital marketing company Synrgy first spotted the test after running a search for Southwest Airlines. The search returned a large banner ad similar to a cover photo on Facebook, followed by some top links on Southwest’s website. “This is a very limited test in the US; one of many we run,” a Google spokesperson told The Verge.
Google experiments with giant banner ads on top of search results
is the editor of the Platformer newsletter and cohost of the Hard Fork podcast.
The banners might drive more traffic to the advertiser than traditional search ads, but they also push related search results much farther down the page than we’re used to seeing on Google.
This article has been updated to include a comment from Google.
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