Google confirmed that it is testing a new PPC ad format. However, key details such as the official name, functionality, influence on auction dynamics, and effect on metrics have not yet been released.
The lack of information about the new ad format has led to criticism from advertisers.
First discovered: The new ad format was first flagged by Anthony Higman, CEO of the online advertising agency acquirewho shared a preview to X:
He posted: “These aren’t LSAs, they’re PPC ads. What do we call this new ad format? And why didn’t anyone know about it?”
Lack of transparency. Commenting on the new ad format and the lack of information provided by Google, Higman told Search Engine Land:
“What bothers me about most of the things Google has released recently is the lack of transparency.” “I understand it’s 2024 and things are moving faster than ever, but when they roll out a new ad format, of which we’ve seen about ten in the last few weeks, it would be really helpful if they explained how these work new ads and what changes they involve through auction dynamics.” “But it seems to me that they’re just running these new ads and then they’re trying to figure out how to explain what those changes mean to advertisers.” “As a PPC veteran, what what hurts me is that we are increasingly being forced to adopt everything Google wants through artificial intelligence, machine learning and just ‘trusting’ the machine, which again still lacks a lot of transparency in my opinion.”
‘Beyond madness’. Melissa Mackey, director of paid search at Compound Growth Marketing, also criticized the lack of information about the new ad format. she wrote X:
“It’s beyond crazy what’s going on in the LSA world right now. Fortunately, we don’t have any customers that use them, but for those that do, this is a new nightmare a day.” “We haven’t seen them for any of our clients, but we agree that it’s a cr*pa ad format plus there’s no information on how it affects metrics, etc.”
Why we care The new ad format lacks clear information about costs and metrics, making it difficult to track and optimize campaign performance.
What Google says. A Google spokesperson confirmed to Search Engine Land that the new ad format is still in the experimental phase and there is no certainty yet about its full rollout.
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