{"id":12119,"date":"2012-01-31T14:22:01","date_gmt":"2012-01-31T18:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blumenthals.com\/blog\/?p=12119"},"modified":"2012-01-31T14:45:16","modified_gmt":"2012-01-31T18:45:16","slug":"is-google-intentionally-trying-to-minimize-the-fact-that-these-are-ads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blumenthals.com\/blog\/2012\/01\/31\/is-google-intentionally-trying-to-minimize-the-fact-that-these-are-ads\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Google Intentionally Trying to Minimize the Fact that These are Ads?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Like many people, I have a less expensive, older LCD display at home that works just fine. With one exception. It makes Google Ads look just like a genuine search result. Obviously a screen shot doesn’t capture the “failings” of my typical display so I took a shot of the screen using my iPhone where you too can experience the lack of contrast. There is absolutely no distinction between the Adwords Express Ad and the local result. And the Adwords advertiser has the temerity to fake their reviews to boot. <\/p>\n

But even when the yellow highlighting is visible, it might not really convey the fact that these are ads. My daughter, 19 and a reasonably savvy consumer of technology, asked me last week what the yellow meant. One assumes, in a company that tests things so much the decision is not accidental.<\/p>\n

Do you think that Google makes the ads obvious enough? <\/p>\n

(Click to view my bad photo of my LCD screen larger)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Like many people, I have a less expensive, older LCD display at home that works just fine. With one exception. It makes Google Ads look just like a genuine search result. Obviously a screen shot doesn’t capture the “failings” of my typical display so I took a shot of the screen using my iPhone where …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":262,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles-about-googles-local-listing-ads","category-google-maps-google-local"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t