Tug's thoughts on Yahoo's decision to introduce Rich Ads into their search results
Yahoo! is currently trialling its Rich Ads in Search product in preperation for a UK rollout. In the US, the tool, which integrates video and images into padi listings, has boosted click-through rates by as much as 25 per cent. But can it help eat in to Google's massive lead in the UK market?
Google's market share in the UK is too big for a new ad format from Yahoo! to dent its supremacy. The
new Rich Ads are a welcome taste of things to come, when universal search will bring more visual results on the
engines.
No doubt click-through rates will increase. Some brand advertisers will even be convinced to trial or increase search budgets on Yahoo!. However, any increase in advertiser spend that Yahoo! might see will not outweigh the damage done by the decision to give up on its content network.
Imagine if Yahoo! was rolling out performance-based rich media ads across a robust search and content network, then it might have had a chance against Google. In the end, the new ad formats will be let down by the low search volumes on Yahoo! in the UK. The only way to really gain more market share is to get more people searching on Yahoo!.
I just can't see people leaving their Google search page because the advertising looks cooler on
Yahoo!.
Nick Beck
Director, Tug