Like Apple expanding its own advertising business, Google has started displaying ads for promoted applications at the top of the search window in the Play Store digital content store. Previously, the user saw the last four search queries in the search bar, but now an ad block is displayed at the top, followed by queries saved in the history. This move by Google comes as part of the April update package released through the Google System Updates program.
The ad unit at the top of the search window includes the name of the promoted application, the name of the developer, the user rating of the program, and its total number of downloads. Notably, the ad unit is not marked with a special “Ad” icon, which is typically used in other Google services to indicate that it is an advertisement. This move expands the opportunities for promoting applications on Google’s platform, which has been available for a long time.
However, not all Google Play users are currently seeing ads for promoted applications. While the innovation has already been launched worldwide, including in Russia, it is not yet clear if Google plans to roll out this feature to all users.
This move by Google follows a recent report that the company has started showing more ads in its Gmail email service. Some users have noticed ads appearing in their emails in the inbox. It is not yet known whether Google plans to expand this feature or whether the appearance of ads in individual users’ inboxes is a result of testing.
With the continued growth of digital advertising, it’s no surprise that Google is looking for more ways to monetize its platforms. While some users may find the addition of ads to the Play Store search window to be intrusive, it is a common practice in the tech industry. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen how Google’s decision to include ads in its various services will impact user experience and whether it will be embraced or rejected by its user base.
