Mortgages Coming To Google Compare, New Automotive Ads Among AdWords Announcements

Google announced a number of new search advertising format and measurement initiatives in a livestream Tuesday, hosted by Jerry Dischler, Vice President of Product Management for AdWords.

No surprise, many of the announcements focused on improving mobile experiences and giving marketers better tools for measuring what has become a complex path to purchase, what Google refers to as “micro-moments”. The updates came against the backdrop of Google’s first official announcement that smartphone searches are now outpacing those on desktop in ten countries.

Last year’s AdWords livestream focused heavily on app discovery and engagement formats. This year, Google released a study released in partnership with Ipsos that shows heavy usage of search and app stores among smartphone users looking for apps and highlighted. Dischler also mentioned the recent pilot program of showing ads in search results on Google Play, noting that the company would be talking more about ads in Google Play at Google I/O later this month.

Google Compare Expansion

Google Compare in the US will soon expand beyond auto insurance and credit cards to include mortgages, as many in that industry have been speculating. Google is short on details, but says the mortgage product will roll out in the US later this year.

The auto insurance comparison service, which launched in California earlier this year, is also expanding to new states — to Texas, Illinois, Pennsylvania — and will feature agent support. Finally, the credit card comparison product will now include cards from local issuers.

New Automotive Ad Formats

Google debuted a new ad format for automotive manufactures and ad listings for local dealers. The units are rolling out on mobile, with Chrysler as a launch partner, and will eventually be made available on all screens.

Chrysler is a launch partner for Google’s new automotive ads.

Google also announced several updates around mobile measurement and campaign automation. For more details on these new ad formats and other announcements made today, see our full coverage on Search Engine Land.