Last week, Google began testing Comparison Ads, a new feature for its Adwords program. Designed to help users find the most relevant products for their search queries and advertisers to attract targeted traffic, Comparison Ads allows users to compare multiple offers from different advertisers quickly and easily. Comparison Ads is especially beneficial for broad keyword queries. For instance, when a user searches for “mortgage”, Google cannot determine whether the user is looking for a new home loan or needs to refinance. Additionally, the search engine does not know if the user is looking for a fixed or an adjustable rate mortgage.
With Comparison Ads, Google presents users who search for “mortgage” with a Comparison Ads promotion asking them to choose the type of mortgage they want and compare rates. When users click on the promotion, Google directs them to a page containing offers from multiple advertisers. Users can then choose between the offers listed on the page or refine their results by entering in their income or home value. Once a user selects an offer, he or she can call the advertiser directly or request a quote online. If a user chooses the latter, Google anonymizes his or her phone number and sends the advertiser a unique code that can be used to contact the user. Google charges advertisers when users fill out a form to request a quote or call the phone numbers on their offers.
Google’s Comparison Ads feature seeks to “enhance the user experience” in several different ways. First, the feature improves the speed at which users receive targeted offers. Without long forms to fill out, users can view offers immediately, filling in additional information only if they want to filter their results. Second, Google Comparison Ads aims to increase transparency. The offers generated by Comparison Ads are for real products and do not contain “bait and switch” offers or teaser rates. Third, Google Comparison Ads protects the privacy of users. Google does not provide advertisers with any personal information about users, including the phone numbers that it anonymizes.
