Google removes ads from right side of search results
In 2016, Google removed ads from the right side of its desktop search results (with two exceptions: Product Listing Ad boxes and Knowledge panel ads) in all languages, worldwide.
Google Ads would only appear at the top and/or bottom of the page.
An additional ad (so, four instead of three) would appear above Google’s organic search results for what it called “highly commercial queries.”
This was actually the culmination of a test that began in 2010 and ramped up significantly in 2015, mostly outside of the U.S.
Google’s official statement on the change:
“We’ve been testing this layout for a long time, so some people might see it on a very small number of commercial queries. We’ll continue to make tweaks, but this is designed for highly commercial queries where the layout is able to provide more relevant results for people searching and better performance for advertisers.”
Read all about it in Confirmed: Google To Stop Showing Ads On Right Side Of Desktop Search Results Worldwide.
Also on this day
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2018: Google finally disclosed the new recrawl limits in a revised help document.
Google Maps adds mall directory search & browse in local panel
2018: Google added a new tab to the local panel in the search results named “directory.”
Google Chrome extensions bringing back ‘View Image’ & ‘Search by Image’ buttons in Google Image Search
2018: Google removed some much-loved features in image search, but some Chrome extensions bring back that functionality.
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Google AdWords Launches An Android App For Advertisers But Currently Only For Canadians
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Google News Bug Drops Trending Topics From Side Bar Navigation
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Google Mobile Search Put Publishers’ Content In Carousels
2015: Users could quickly scan topic-based content from single sources on mobile devices.
Bing Offers Link To Order Food Online From Your Favorite Restaurants
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Bing Updates Friends’ Photos Search With Windows Tiles Layout & Slideshow View
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SES London 2008 Day One Recap
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Past contributions from Search Engine Land’s Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)
These columns are a snapshot in time and have not been updated since publishing, unless noted. Opinions expressed in these articles are those of the author and not necessarily Search Engine Land.
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