Allowing users to choose between several companies

Oct 30, 2009 13:57 GMT  ·  By

Google has introduced a new type of ad that aims to take out some of the guesswork by serving users several offers from advertisers and allowing them to easily compare them. Called AdWords Comparison Ads, these will only be available for mortgages and will see a limited rollout over the next week. The ads will be available in the US but only in some states for now.

"AdWords uses a host of targeting and relevancy signals to determine the best ads for each query. However, sometimes a user's query doesn't provide enough information for us to confidently predict what they want. Take, for example, users who search for "mortgage." Do they want a new home loan or a refinance? Do they want a fixed rate or an adjustable rate loan? Comparison Ads improves the ad experience on Google.com by letting users specify exactly what they are looking for and helping them quickly compare relevant offers side by side," Dan Friedman, from Google's Inside AdWords crew, wrote.

Google claims that this is actually beneficial to the advertisers as well since, by allowing users to provide more specific info about what they are looking for they will also be more likely to follow up on an ad that caters exactly to their needs. For now, users who perform a mortgage or refinance query on Google in the US states where the ads will be available may see this new type of Comparison Ads showing them several rates from different companies and asking them to refine their search, for example by asking them if they are looking for a new home or just a refinance.

If they click on the ads they will be taken to a page listing several options from the advertisers where they will be able to get even more specific ads by selecting the options available. If they are satisfied with the results, they can either call the company directly or request to be contacted by an agent. In this case Google won't reveal the real phone number to the advertisers. What's more, the advertisers only pay for the ads if the user contacts them. The ads are only available for mortgages for now but Comparison Ads will be expanded to other areas over time.