Google does something that is, in many ways, stepping on the toes of publishers & retailers in the name of ‘user interests’ (did anyone ask the user?) and which also, in the UK at least, goes against its own T&Cs.

Are people not meant to report this because it might hurt Google’s share price? Since when was that the NYT’s, or anyone else’s other than Google’s, problem?

If Google offered to display Site Search results without ads for customers of the Enterprise CSE, I bet that would certainly pay off the $100+/year cost, in terms of how much more attention they get from visitors in SERPs.

I am assuming you are referring to using google search on your own site?

There is an enterprise version you can use – http://www.google.com/coop/cse/compare – which is actually their CSE meant to be used on multiple sites – but its ad free which means you can use it to search your own.

That way, companies stick out in the results, their brand won’t be competing against AdWords and Google gets a cut of some money.

Surely they will at least provide the option for that in the future…

What I’d like to see is how much more likely it is for people to click on your link in SERPs as long as you have the Site Search displayed beneath. That way, it could actually be doing them a favour, far more than it might be costing them in lost traffic.

http://www.google.com/tm_complaint_adwords.html

@Rishil – I’m assuming you are outside the USA–there’s a different policy (can’t bid on trademark keywords) compared to those inside the USA (who can bid, but can’t show in ad creative).

I am 100% positive on this – as I run a HUGE adwords account and brand search is one of our biggest converting factors.

So @rishil, while still unfair, Google is consistent in its handling of trademark terms.

Or has google changed the rules and the brand protection doesnt count for anything now?

However it is a big deal if it’s protected term, surely? That strikes me as a straight-out break of Google’s own T&Cs and a law-suit in the making. Do they want their share price to go down more?!

I don’t disagree with the intent argument. I just believe that it’s not a big deal to show AdWords ads alongside site search results. Heck, it’s hard enough to get searchers to click on ads as it is.

I still disagree though, because of my feelings about user intent. When someone searches for a brand, that’s generally what they want. And anything else is just getting in the way of that.

I ask the bookstore to show me all titles named “Radically Transparent.” They take me to the shelf.

While I’m flicking through the book, I see that there are other books on sale–all placed around Radically Transparent.

If I really wanted to buy Radically Transparent, I’d still buy it. If I’m so distracted by the other books, then perhaps I wasn’t that interested in Radically Transparent to start with.