With the recent launch of their comparison ad program, Google is now competing with some of the their own paid and organic search listings. Starting with the mortgage industry as the testing ground, it looks like their program has been successful at diverting a substantial number of shoppers who normally would have landed on sites that appear in the search results.

The new ad comparison program, which places Google’s ads at the top positions in their search engine results, gives shoppers the opportunity to compare rates from multiple mortgage advertisers, which has created a major source of online competition.

Google’s move into the online mortgage marketing space is forcing some companies to adjust their marketing strategy to compensate for the loss in business. That seems to be the case with Lending Tree’s announcement of a new “consumer decision making platform and customer acquisition channel for businesses across key vertical markets.” Their platform appears to be a counterpunch at Google, claiming an “opportunity to step in where typical search engines fall short”, and saying they are “going beyond a page of blue links”.

Companies in other industries that depend on search engine lead generation should be anxiously looking over their shoulder to see if the same fate awaits them. Google has announced another test run for their Comparison Ads program, this time for credit card related searches, which is designed to compare interest rates from a chart of multiple advertisers, without the requirement of users divulging contact information.

The latest rumor speculates that the online travel industry is in line for the next big hit. Considering the size of the online travel market and the potential advertising revenue for Google, lead generation marketers in the travel space need to brace for impact.

Google’s entry into the price comparison market is a huge move with far reaching implications that could benefit consumers, while at the same time siphon off valuable leads from both paid and organic search engine rankings. Time will tell the story of collateral fallout from those unable to adapt to the inevitable change.

Written by R. Smith: Online Advertising Agencies, Auto Dealer Websites

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