Google always tries to improve the search experience for its users, so it is no surprise to see slight or major changes from time to time. This time the change has to do with the “Ad” label in the search results. When performing a search, the user gets both ads and organic search results on the screen, and the only way to distinguish between them is with this small “Ad” label written in bold next to the advertisement, which is easily missed.
In case you have missed the change when performing a search, the “Ad” label is replaced with the “Sponsored” label in bold next to the advertisements appearing in search results. The label is placed on a separate line above the site URL and not next to it. This is currently updated across mobile, and it will start testing these changes on the desktop, but no clear date is provided.
The company explained in a statement that the new changes are made to meet with their “high standards for being distinguishable from search results” and “make information about paid content clear”. In another statement, a Google spokesperson stated that the changes made are “the result of rigorous user testing” and to “ensure that users can identify the source of their Search ads and where they are coming from, and that paid content is clearly labeled and distinguishable from search results”.