I noticed a major change on Google.com search results page (SERP) today. Google.com moved the sponsored listings closer to the organic search results reducing the font size, while it’s country specific domains like Google.ca still show results in the old format with sponsored listing at far right corner.

Moving the paid search closer to the organic can have great effect of the clickthrough rates. While the click through rates of the pay per click paid campaigns will increase dramaticly, clickthrough rates of natural search results will see significant decline. If Google sticks with this layout, and extends it to its contry specific domains, it will have significant effect on the way you are getting your traffic and people click on the results.

If you are just relying on organic search results, expect to see your traffic and sales go down. On the other hand, if you are also running ppc campaigns, you should expect significant increase in your traffic. You will find your daily budget limits on your Google Adwords quickly getting exhausted, and should consider increasing that if you would like to see your campaigns running till the end of the day.

This also means that Google will now be earning much more money from AdWords.

What will happen to organic searches and all those who have been optimizing their websites over the years is to be seen. As we know it is much easier to gain, manage and manipulate traffic with ppc campaigns, does it mean that Google is forcing businesses to buy more ppc ads. In its quest to earn more revenues, is it trying to push and promote websites / pages having little depth and content and more sales pitch?

Does it have anything to do with the recent MSN – Yahoo deal? There are several questions popping up in my mind right now. Let’s see, probably the answers would be apparent in the next few months. But this will certainly effect the way businesses would be allocating money for their online marketing by reallocating more towards AdWords.