Bing Ads Testing Credibility Extension to Highlight Brands

Bing Ads is testing a brand new credibility extension.  The goal of the extension is to highlight well known brand names and highlight it in the search results.

Here is what it looks like:

Because display URLs can sometimes be confusing about whether it is the real brand site or not, this extension showcases official brands.

This is somewhat similar to the “Official Site” notation we saw in some of the search results earlier this year from Bing, that also sought to highlight when an official site is the one being displayed.

According to Bing, this is something they are doing automatically for some Bing Ads, so it is nothing that an advertiser needs to do in order to make it show up.  It appears to be a limited test at this time.

It is something that is kind of similar to what Google does in their organic search results, when a brand has a Wikipedia page, although Google’s version includes an interactive drop down to the brand name.

Here is another example:

It is a nice addition, but it replaces the Twitter follower count info.  But it also makes you wonder why some businesses show them and some don’t – such as why is JC Penney excluded from this.

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Jennifer Slegg

Founder & Editor at The SEM Post

Jennifer Slegg is a longtime speaker and expert in search engine marketing. When she isn't sitting at her desk writing and working, she can be found grabbing a latte at her local Starbucks or planning her next trip to Disneyland. She regularly speaks at Pubcon, SMX, ClickZ and more, and has been presenting at conferences for over a decade.

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