The dust has settled after the “great sidebar removal” of 2016. Now what? How has removing the sidebar ads from SERPs changed paid search strategy? What’s the real impact of showing up to 4 ads in top position? Maddie Cary, Director of Paid Search will answer those hot button questions. Don’t let the unknown get you down. Our very own industry expert will walk you through the details to make sure you can stay up to date!

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Google Sidebar Update
What’s the Impact?
Maddie Cary | Point it Digital Marketing
Director of Paid Search
04.20.2016

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@MaddieMarketer @Point_It

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About Point It
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World-Class Clients
Our Services

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About the Presenter
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Maddie Cary
Director of Paid Search
@MaddieMarketer
Maddie Cary is the Director of Paid Search at Point It. Her role
involves overseeing and developing an amazing team of PPC
account managers, while also running the global SEM program
for Point It’s largest client.
In 2015, she won the US Search Award for “Young Search
Professional”, as well as was acknowledged as a “Rising Star in
PPC” by both SearchEngineLand & PPC Hero. You can also find
her speaking & learning at great conferences like SMX,
HeroConf, & PubCon, or writing posts for the Wordstream blog.
Outside of PPC, her biggest loves are her family, friends, and her
idol, Queen Beyoncé

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Agenda
What was
the Google
sidebar
update?
What was
the impact
of the
change?
How will
Google use
the space in
the future?
Q&A!

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What was the
Google sidebar
update?

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Google Sidebar Update
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On Feb 19th, Google AdWords rolled out the below changes worldwide
across Google.com & eligible search partners:
• Text ads were removed from the sidebar for desktop results
• Serving up to 4 text ads in the mainline ad space above organic
• Up to 3 ads can show at the bottom of page
• Ad spot real estate across the entire first page SERP reduced
from maximum of 11 to 7
• Product Listing Ads (Shopping) and Knowledge Panels still eligible to show
in the sidebar ad space on the right side of the page

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Why?
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“We’ve been testing this layout for a
long time […] we’ll continue to make
tweaks, but this is designed for highly
commercial queries where the layout is
able to provide more relevant results for
people searching and better performance
for advertisers.”

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Okay…but really, why?
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I think Google wants to…
Increase ad engagement
Continue blending paid results with organic
Use that real estate on the SERP for something else

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What was the
impact of the
change?

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Impressions
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Since the removal of sidebar ads, our top 10 spending clients are
seeing more impression shifting to Pos 1 – 3.9
BEFORE AFTER

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Clicks
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BEFORE AFTER
But clicks are still happening in the same top ad spots, with
99% of clicks taking place on ads in Positions 1 – 3.9

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Average CTR
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Position 4 is becoming more valuable, as we see CTR has
improved for the spot across the board, while CTR for Pos 5 and
lower has dropped due to decreased ad visibility below the fold

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Average CPC
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Average CPCs have actually increased for lower ad positions
as advertisers who previously were on the sidebar are now having
to bid more to try to stay on the first page

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Ad Positioning Change by Day
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Sidebar ads
removed
When we look at our
top 10 spend
client data set,
we don’t see much change

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Why the change ultimately benefits advertisers
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Maybe change doesn’t have to be a bad thing!
Ads in top positions see a 14x higher CTR
Ads now formatted in-line with organic
2/3 of SERPs still show fewer than 4 ads
Now all ads (including Pos 5 – 7) can show extensions

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How will Google
use the space in
the future?

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The Future of the Desktop SERP
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What’s
Google going
to do with
this new
blank canvas?
?

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Prediction #1
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Product
Listing Ads
(Shopping)

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Prediction #2
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New ad
formats in
Knowledge
Panel Sign up for Apple Music

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Prediction #3
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One-click
buy button
ad formats
Buy Now

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Prediction #4
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Video results

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