Google has introduced a new promotional capability that will be shown as clickable text on external sites, referred to as Page Annotation.
Google’s Page Annotations Designed to Connect Searches on Web Pages
Currently, Page Annotations are accessible only via the Google app on iOS. The tech titan has mentioned that it will “retrieve intriguing information from Google Knowledge Graph entities and emphasize them inline.” When users click on these text promotions, they will obtain additional details about individuals, locations, or products without having to leave the website they are exploring.
This enhancement was announced in the Google Search community forums and covered by SERoundTable. Below is a sample image demonstrating how these promotions will be displayed on a webpage.
Specific terms will be highlighted and underlined similarly to conventional hyperlinks, and clicking on them will trigger a pop-up that features an advertisement related to the highlighted text.
The launch of Page Annotations may evoke memories of Google’s previous announcement this year concerning a new ad format called Ad Intents in Google AdSense. This former format permitted ads to appear as clickable links embedded within webpages. Upon clicking these links, users were redirected to a Google Search results page. Notably, this format did not rely on third-party cookies and was offered as an opt-in option, indicating that publishers had to clearly choose to participate in the program.
Conversely, the new advertising experience provided by Page Annotations operates as an opt-out option. Publishers are required to proactively opt out by completing a form through Google Docs. They must indicate all varieties of domains, encompassing www and non-www, http and https, along with subdomains. The process of approval for opting out could take up to 30 days.
This method raises some apprehensions, particularly with Google currently under examination concerning an antitrust lawsuit by the U.S. Department of Justice. A federal judge has already concluded that Google has engaged in actions that have created and sustained an unlawful monopoly. Furthermore, the company’s advertising practices are being investigated, with the DOJ proposing remedies that might profoundly impact Google, possibly resulting in the sale of Chrome.
As per 9to5Google, this new search feature is available through the Google app on iOS. However, despite investigating it, I was unable to discover a method to display these ads in the app, even on the particular page highlighted in Google’s announcement, indicating that the rollout for users may be incremental.
From a user standpoint, both advertising experiences are lacking. Generally, users expect that on-page links will enable direct, contextually pertinent navigation, directing them to other pages within the same site. Instead, these links now initiate advertisements in pop-up windows.
While placing ads on Google’s own pages is regarded as acceptable, embedding advertisements on third-party sites raises moral concerns. It’s likely that users could express irritation towards either Google or the host site. Numerous site owners might be unaware of these updates, and if they fail to opt out of Page Annotations, their website traffic could diminish as visitors might be discouraged by the advertisements.
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