We have seen Google testing it for a while, but now the AdWords Preview is official. Below is a list of the good and bad aspects of the new feature, as seen through the eyes of internet users and SMEs who include paid search advertising in their marketing mix.
The good news for internet searchers
• See what a page looks like before clicking – is it attractive, is it relevant?
• Could save time it takes to reload the Serp (search engine results page), as previews are displayed on-page.
The bad news for internet searchers
• It’s an extra stage and more time.
• Is the preview large enough to isolate the detail you need to assess it?
• May miss out on good content if the previewed website doesn’t look attractive, even if it’s relevant.
The good news for SME paid advertisers
• You don’t pay for a preview click, only a click through.
• Your quality traffic and conversions could increase.
• It does not affect your quality score.
The bad news for SME paid advertisers
• Preview is free but not optional.
• If your landing page doesn’t look good on the preview, your quality traffic and conversions could decrease.
• It might not last if it affects click throughs massively from Google’s point of view.
It will be interesting to see how this takes off or flops in the next few months – that is, if users appreciate the offering, ignore it or purposefully avoid it.
