I see that too. I wonder if that layout gets a higher CTR? I'd guess it must, or they are just testing to see if it does.

Minnesota, USA

I believe the Google featured/top ads always had the display URL on the same line before the ad description. I am confused. I have screen shots from the past years, dating back to 2004, showing me this.

In 2008, Google was testing this with the normal ads (ads on the right side) and that was new. But you are saying the featured ads at the top of the search results.

Am I misunderstanding?

It's not that top or bottom is better, it's just a little different, which brings some attention from long-time users. This is basic advertising that applies to TV, print, billboards, radio and even Google. It's a good idea. Consumers don't like big changes--they find that to be confusing. But just a little tweak can perk up response.

anyone have a screenshot?

Yes - screen shot please.

The ads look like this:

---------------------
TITLE TITLE TITLE
www.example.com This is the description
of the product or service.
---------------------

There is what looks like a double wide space between the end of the url and the first lketter in the actual description.

The only thing new I am seeing is some have the 'location' after the add.

Refrigerator
Save on Top Refrigerators - Great
Selection. Free Metro Delivery.
www.warnersstellian.com
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN

The only thing new I am seeing is some have the 'location' after the add.

That location is for regional ads.

For example, I work for a man who is running for governor here in Maine, so I made it regional only, since I don't want to pay for people in San Francisco to click on it.

So it looks like this:

John Doe for Maine
Find out why John should be Maine's
next governor.
JohnDoe.com
Maine

BTW, my first post in this thread was from what I saw in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

My second post was from Bismarck, North Dakota, USA.

I was using my Sprint wireless broadband modem both times.

Were you seeing images with these ads?

There is a beta program that hooks up Google merchant account to AdWords ads that just shows a short product description, display URL, and an image.

It is not a product extension; it's different and you can spot the difference as there's not a + sign to expand the ad and view the product extension images - these images are displayed directly on the search page.

Were you seeing images with these ads?

No.

I do see the small thumbnail images on some ads in the right hand column. (Actually I only see a blank space with the blue link indicator line around it because I surf with javascript turned off.)

But the ads with the URL before the description are the ads at the top of the organic serps column. I tried several different searches just now and saw this style ad on all of them.

Today I'm in Moorhead, Minnesota, USA and still using my Spring wireless broadband modem.

I surf with cookies turned off/disallowed/blocked/whatever.

Do you see this in each browser?

There are some browser add-ons that change the ads (or insert their own ads instead of Google's ads).

I have FF 3.5.9 and IE 8.0 and see the ads display this way with both.

I'm mostly "add on" free, except for "old bar" on FF and Better Privacy. No tool bars, etc.

I also use AVG Free and Spybot S&D, if that matters.