If you search for something in Google today, you might notice that your results page seems a little off – specifically the paid portion of the results page.

Do you see it yet?

The ‘Ad’ tag on paid results that indicates the result as sponsored has been changed from yellow to green.

It’s a subtle change, but could have a substantial impact on Google’s paid portion of the search results page. Google received positive feedback from users during Beta testing of this update, so it has now gone live on both desktop and mobile devices. Google continually looks to optimize the aesthetic of its ad platform, and many speculate that this is an attempt to make paid results look more like organic results. Although Google reports no obvious increase in CTR from this change during testing, the update does help the ads blend in with the organic side of the page.

Since the green tag is located directly to the left of the display URL, which also happens to be green, the eye is drawn to the display URL even more so than before the update. Considering this, be sure to fully utilize the display URL by including as much description as possible. Instead of using info.college.edu for your Evening MBA program, use info.college.edu/evening-mba. Don’t overlook the display URL – especially with the updated green tag.

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