As the mobile search results page is now “infinite,” advertisers are questioning what will happen to the placement of ads at the top and bottom. Google has stated that the number of text ads will be redistributed between the top and bottom of pages for US-English mobile queries. More text ads will now be allowed to show at the top of the second page and beyond, with fewer appearing at the bottom of each page. Shopping and Local ads will remain the same.
Google has also confirmed that ads can show multiple times for a single query, but this has always been the case. Advertisers can expect to see more mobile impressions and a decrease in CTR for Search, Shopping, and Local Ads. While clicks, conversions, average CPC, and average CPA are predicted to remain constant, Search campaigns may experience a reduction in impressions from bottom ads and an increase in impressions from top ads.
Advertisers are advised to segment their performance data by “Top vs. Other” to understand their campaign’s performance and review their prominence metrics. This change will initially only affect US-based queries, with the rollout set to expand to additional countries and languages in 2022. It is crucial to communicate this development to clients and stakeholders invested in campaign metrics, who should continue monitoring their campaigns and optimizing them based on their business objectives.