Google is streamlining ‘Ad’ labeling for Shopping ads

In November, Google quietly changed the way it labels Shopping ads across mobile search results. Now it’s bringing that change to desktop.

You can see in the mobile screenshots above, Google displays a black “Ads” label in the upper left corner above Shopping ads on the main search results page as well as the Shopping and Images tabs. That matches the black “Ad” label on that displays on text ads.

What’s changing. Soon, the “Sponsored” label that still appears in the upper right above Shopping ads on desktop will be replaced with the black “Ad” label as well.

This “Ad” label also appears above Hotel ads on travel results pages.

You’ll see it first on the main search results page in early July. The new labeling will then roll out on the Shopping tab and in Image Search results in the near future.

Why we care. We’ve charted Google’s history of ad labeling changes, which have arguably grown more subtle over the years. However, this update will bring uniformity to Shopping, Search and Hotel ads labeling and offer a clearer treatment for users. This is particularly true for Shopping tab results which now feature free listings.

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About The Author

Ginny Marvin

Ginny Marvin was Third Door Media’s former Editor-in-Chief (October 2018 to December 2020), running the day to day editorial operations across all publications and overseeing paid media coverage. Ginny Marvin writes about paid digital advertising and analytics news and trends for Search Engine Land, Marketing Land and MarTech Today. With more than 15 years of marketing experience, Ginny has held both in-house and agency management positions. She can be found on Twitter as @ginnymarvin.