Would someone who never clicks on sponsored results when searching on Google be better served if those blue ads on top of the search results were moved to the right side of the page?
Google seems to think that the answer to that question is “yes,” and they are reportedly taking steps towards that end.
There are a number of search marketers who have been finding that if you refresh a search results page anywhere from about five to ten times, the sponsored links in the blue box at the top of the results eventually move to the right panel.
On Friday, Google confirmed this finding by saying that they are testing the adjustment of sponsored ad positioning based on the number or absence of clicks they receive from a user.
“This is designed to further ensure that users will find ads only when they’re most useful and advertisers will receive the most qualified leads. With this improvement, users may see more prominent ads if they are currently showing interest in ads and less prominent ads otherwise,” said Michael Mayzel, a spokesperson for Google.
At this point, not all users will see the shift of sponsored links from the top of the results to the right panel.
If made a permanent feature, this would likely bump up the cost of obtaining the scarcer sponsored link positions. It could also mean that advertisers will be willing to pay more for their ads, assuming that the users who continue to see the sponsored ads will be the ones that are more likely to help conversion rates.
Source:
http://www.clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3623458
Digg 
