For a very long time (at least in web years), CPC advertising has been the only model for search engines seeking to monetize their search results. While the effectiveness and profitability of these ads can hardly be disputed, it's also obvious from statements like Google's famous "20% of all queries each month are completely unique)" and Ask's "80% of our users' searches show any ads at all" that hundreds of millions of searches are currently completley unmonetized.
I think it would be naive of us to think that this practice can endure indefinitely. For any other page/site on the web to receive the level of traffic and eyeballs that SERPs pages do and remain unmonetized is almost unthinkable. In my estimation, it will be months, not years, before we see one of the major three start to use these un-monetized SERPs to run advertising of one type or another.
Any thoughts on how they'll do it? When they'll do it? If they'll do it?
By: Rand Fishkin
New Ways to Monetize the SERPs
Paid Search Marketing (PPC)
The author's views are entirely his or her own (excluding the unlikely event of hypnosis) and may not always reflect the views of Moz.
Paid inclusion could be a good idea, especially if they bumped the default to 15 or 20 search results per page. With just 10 results, the top adsense ads and paid inclusion results, the SERPS would be too monetized.
All you got to do is hire a bunch of quality control teams and set some very high standards for paid inclusion. The site to be included would have to be relevant and add value to the SERPS, because anyone can outsource "relevant" articles for $3/hour. They could even have a minimum traffic limit or a minimum site age limit. This way, not only they make money but they improve the SERPS, probably knocking a spam page off there. Everyone is happy.
I love the idea of "generic" ads and I doubt that would be much of an issue. There are plenty of unrelated ads already. Plus, Google could make a smart move and start offering the option of custom ads to non-premium publishers.
I don't know why they don't give us custom ads... or at least give some additional sizes. I am salivating to get something about 200-300 tall and 160 wide.
Oh, some long tail at work here. I love it.
This is what expanded match is trying to accomplish, no?. Problem is I believe that these ads lack the relevance necessary to perform well and thus they are usually the first things to go.
I think one thing worth testing is to use historical query data and show ads based on previous search behavior. I think the chances of clicks is best here. At least you are showing something relevant to a recently completed search. While this ad would not be in my current focus as a user, if I notice it, it could spur my interest since there was a previous goal.
Another similar option taking it a step further would be to use data on searches conducted where no result was clicked. I've seen how Google will add a "refine your search" box to a SERP on a subsequent kw query where no result was clicked the first time. Why not repurpose this to serve ads on these long tail SERPs.
Of course this goes against everything I believe for PPC success..but I can't let that stop me from posting some ideas. :)
I think that this is a really good idea. Nice one Jonathan!
Excellent point! Base the ads on the user, not the results. Seems so 90's, but it works.
What about overcommercialization? Whenever a site starts advertising to me in more ways and in more places, I notice. And this would also be a small step back from relevancy - even for related queries. I think it might hurt Google's goodwill a bit if they start pushing towards this direction too much.
In my What I want for Christmas from Adsense post I said that I wanted "related topic" or "generic topic" ads to display on my site. These might be general interest ads such as Netflix, cameras, vacations. Not contextual but ads that anybody might be interested in. These could be sold in enormous bulk and farmed out. The SEs could place them in these ad vacuums and they could be farmed out to adsense sites instead of the pubservice ads.
The only danger I see in this is that if surfers see unrelated ads over and over it could promote ad blindness.
What do you think?
Hmmm... yes - the SEs could conceptually use their own co-occurrence search data to help map what interests certain queries might fit. I'd love to be able to see that data - i.e. if X searched for A, they were also likely to search for B, C and D.
You can get that data from your own sites - if you install a search box and log the queries. I am using this type of data to inform content development.
Well, as we all know paid inclusion is out...or is it? With Yahoo still practicing through private firms, a focus on vertical search portals (think looksmart), and all the verbal beatings Google has taken from webmasters for "broken" SERPS (and not to forget their launch of the Co-op), we may just see paid inclusion make a come back in a big way.
I'd also imagine up some big co-branding schemes if I were a product manager at the big three, especially for regional searches. Living in Vegas, I wouldn't be surprised to see Southwest Airlines co-brand sponsor any query I made on, say, Yahoo for a month. Doesn't even have to be queries to bring in the co-branding. Google slipped and had that Nike ad on their front page for a while. Perhaps that wasn't a slip, but just spun PR wise as such?
I never understood the minimalist approach to SE homepages. I understand why they wouldn't want to overcrowd the site and direct people directly to the search bar, but that doesn't mean their isn't room for well designed ads on the homepage.