{"id":45393,"date":"2013-06-27T00:46:32","date_gmt":"2013-06-27T01:46:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.corporate-eye.com\/main\/?p=45393"},"modified":"2013-06-27T00:49:31","modified_gmt":"2013-06-27T01:49:31","slug":"u-s-federal-trade-commission-tells-search-engines-to-differentiate-ads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.corporate-eye.com\/main\/u-s-federal-trade-commission-tells-search-engines-to-differentiate-ads\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Federal Trade Commission Tells Search Engines to Differentiate Ads"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"computerIn a letter to search engines<\/a> and nearly 20 companies providing search tools related to shopping, travel, and so on, the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is calling for search engines to better differentiate ads from organic search results.<\/p>\n

Of course, this isn’t a new requirement. However, research found that the shading and other formatting used to offset ad results from organic search results has gotten a bit lighter of late, making those paid search results at the top of the page blend in with other results on the page, particularly on mobile devices where color settings can be quite different than the traditional desktop screen.<\/p>\n

In its letter, the FTC doesn’t make any new requirements but simply reiterates that ads must be clearly distinguishable from natural results from consumers’ perspectives. There should be no room for confusion, and search engines are given the flexibility to design the paid results distinction in any way they want — as long as it’s very obvious to consumers. The FTC encourages using darker shading for paid results backgrounds and offsetting paid results with borders as well as using text to clearly mark paid search results.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, the FTC reminds online advertisers to review its .com Disclosures: How to Make Effective Disclosures in Digital Advertising<\/a> Guide. This document was released in March 2013, and it’s filled with all of the information a marketer needs to understand when displaying digital ads on U.S. search properties as well as on sites targeting U.S. consumers.<\/p>\n

For example, the document provides guidelines for digital advertising that ensure all requirements related to offering clear and conspicuous disclosure are met, including:<\/p>\n