just noticed a weird change in the serp today. google seems to be testing a new label for that shopping section we all know. instead of saying "sponsored" it now says "featured store" w/ a little subtext saying "shop these top products." this isnt exactly a brand new feature since they played around with the layout last year, but the wording shift feels intentional. i wonder if they are trying to make ads feel less like ads and more like organic recommendations. maybe it is a play on improving
click-through rates by masking the paid nature of the links.
it probably won't change much for us unless it impacts visibility but it is worth watching closely. i am checking my
semrush data to see if there is any movement in impressions for my shopping campaigns.
>the goal is likely less friction between ads and organic results. anyone else seeing this "featured" label on their recent searches?https://searchenginewatch.com/google-tests-replacing-sponsored-store-with-featured-store-in-serp/