A brand new widget for sponsored ads has been found in the SERPs. Currently, this is just a test in the US. But it shows an interesting development in the future of car rental comparison.
Found by SEMRush on Twitter, the new ad widget gives users the abilty to choose what type of car and the dates of the rental within the ad.
Ads then appear below, with info on how many rentals are showing from which price (with taxes + fees included.)
The ads, from car rental businesses, show the rental brand, price per day and the car make & model.
Images: SEMRush
When pressed for a statement, Google responded in a classic manner:
“We’re always testing new ways to improve our experience for our advertisers and users, but don’t have anything specific to announce right now”
This is a step closer towards Google keeping the research phase in the SERPs, similar to how the Flights + Hotels ads work. Rather than sending you to any sites for comparison, they want you in the results page so you use one of their ads.
Having a sponsored comparison towards the top of the SERPs would improve conversions when compared to single ads + listings. This interactive element is much more eye-catching and functional when compared to text ads.
But with no comment on when/if it’s rolling out, we can only sit back and hypothesise. What do you think of this? Would you like to see it rolled out? How do you think it will change the car rental landscape? Let us know in the comments, or drop us a tweet @HonchoSearch