Phew! I thought it was just me whose Google search results were appearing all different of late. Came to know that the search giant is experimenting with the way it displays search results, and a minor tweak reveals how it plans to cash in on the paid links from unsuspecting visitors. Till recently, the paid links were highlighted within a yellow banner, but now they're just flagged with a small yellow button below reading 'Ad'. For some users, it shall be pretty much easy with the labeling to differentiate between an ad and a regular search result, but a majority of the folks may find themselves redirected to a paid site.


Users who ditched clicking on ads earlier won't be able to spot the faint difference, what with the paid link blending in so beautifully with the search results. Well targeted ads may be beneficial for both the visitor and the advertiser, but otherwise it's a hurdle one shall have to deal with.


Google started experimenting with the search result revamp last year on mobile/tablet platforms, with bigger font size and un-underlining the links. The same is being rolled out to desktops as well to offer a consistent experience across platforms, revealed a Google spokesman.