Google To Test New Product Ads

Google’s paid search results continue to evolve beyond the traditional 25-character text headline, two-line snippet of information, and URL that we’re all so used to seeing. Both the Wall Street Journal and Google Blogoscoped have details of a new Google Product Ads beta test that will bring product images and price information to paid search results.

Some advertisers have received invites this week to try out the new program. In the invite, Google explains that the test “will be limited to a small percentage of traffic until our full launch.” The product ads program pulls content from the advertisers’ Google Base product feeds, and advertisers don’t have the luxury of adding keywords beyond what’s already in the feed.

Just as unique as the product ads content is the pricing model. Advertisers won’t pay for clicks; they’ll only pay when the user makes a purchase or completes a “qualified conversion.”

Product ads is the latest in a series of product-related experiments from Google. Just last month, we wrote about a product quick links experiment, and Google has been testing a product plus-box ad since late 2007.