Letting users watch product videos within Google’s search results could increase ad engagement but decrease traffic to landing pages.

Google appears to be testing a new video functionality in shopping ads, featuring a play icon that changes to a “watch” button upon hover.

How it works.

• Shopping ads display with a video play icon.
• Icon transforms to a “watch” button when users hover over it.
• Clicking opens an inline video player showing looped product footage.
• Videos play within the search results page.

Why we care. By allowing users to view product videos directly within search results without leaving the page, your ads could benefit from higher interaction rates, as video ads often outperform static ones in terms of engagement.

However, this change might also reduce traffic to landing pages, as Google seems focused on retaining users within its ecosystem. This could shift how you measure success, prioritizing in-ad interactions over website visits.

The big picture. This isn’t Google’s first attempt at video-enabled search ads. A similar feature was tested in 2018, suggesting the company’s ongoing interest in rich media advertising formats.

By the numbers. While performance metrics aren’t yet available for this test, video ads typically show higher engagement rates than static alternatives.

What to watch. Whether Google will roll this feature out more broadly and how it might impact ecommerce conversion rates.

Between the lines. This test suggests Google is continuing to blur the lines between traditional search ads and rich media advertising, potentially offering advertisers more engaging ways to showcase products.

There is also an aspect of tests that are geared towards making the search experience more interactive, similar to the test from last week of expandable product ads carousels. These tests could indicate that Google wants to keep more users on Google’s search results page instead of clicking. This will definitely affect traffic to advertiser’s landing pages.

Credit. The feature was first spotted and shared by Saad AK on X: