Google adds shopping tab in more prominent positions

[MrSavage]

Forgive me for bringing this up, but I would suspect it's relevant to future planning. I've seen "shopping" link to the right of "web". So that would put it before "images" or "videos". Depending on the search, the "shopping" tab switches position.

This is not good. This is another path/route away from an informational site or even news site that would utilize affiliate incomes. It's a funnel out. None of these types of changes are minor and nobody here could point to a direct stat regarding lost traffic. However, to ignore the nature of the beast at this point is foolish. I find this disheartening. Predicable, certainly. But it's another example of why I'm pulling out on a lot of ideas I once had. Grim future in my opinion.

[keyplyr]

Change is difficult for some. Life is rough :)

One thing never changes though... the internet will continue to evolve. If you're not about change, you may be in the wrong business.

Google tries different things out all the time. Some they keep, most they don't.

[MrSavage]

If you can find any recent rollouts that don't include taking more of the pie, feel free to add those to a comment. When a "shopping" tab comes before 'images", "news", "videos", etc, that's hardly a shot in the dark.

The internet will continue to evolve? In what sense. How are people getting there?

It's remarkable how Google is getting in on pretty much most every angle of monetization. I see this prominence similar to the banner carousel with product links that comes below YouTube videos and above....the users description which most likely has some affiliate links.

See, the point is that at every road, there becomes a dead end. Seeing that dead end prior to running into it seems smart. Investing in SEO when you plan to monetize via affiliate links? If Google wants to steer those people to their properties, they will. They apparently are.

This shopping tab will work out for business who are part of the ecosystem. It's the people who send people to buy products rather than selling the products are the ones gradually getting cut out.

None of this is impactful UNLESS there is pretty much one player steering the traffic. If this was Bing would it matter? Would it be worth talking about? Bing can't sink anyones boat.

How is the "internet" evolving? The way I see it, it's enclosing. The pathways are drying up. Is that too obvious? I'm astute enough to realize that if it pays out, it's something Google will keep. If they don't, then it doesn't make cents.

The YouTube example I mentioned I suspect is falling on deaf ears. Which is fine. I bet 99% of the tubers who have some affiliate type links in their description have no idea what is in the works. I've seen it. Has anyone else? Too busy SEOing. When you think you have stability or a path to success, think about who the partner is.

[keyplyr]

You're focusing on how things *were* instead of where things are going. That's where the oppertunity is: mobile, apps, video, VR, IA, new devices, etc.

Desktop is no longer the main act. As long as you stay in yesterday, you loose out on today and will never realize tomorrow.

Sorry, that't just the way technology is.

BTW the tabs are still the way they've alway been for me. "Shopping" is over on the right a few. This indicates it's being tested.

[glakes]

The internet will continue to evolve? In what sense. How are people getting there?

The internet has evolved quite a bit in just a couple years. Google shopping is dead, which is why they are trying breathe some new life into it. Two studies paint a grim and worsening picture for Google, those using Adwords and anyone attempting to sell products:

55% of ecommerce traffic bypasses search engines and goes to Amazon first:
[go.bloomreach.com...]

43% of all USA ecommerce in 2016 were conducted through Amazon:
[intelligence.slice.com...]

What Google is doing is lipstick on a pig. Google's strength is information, and Google has already taught people to go to Amazon to shop. Between paid ads and domain crowding, Google's users really are not presented with much in the form of alternatives. This is Google's weakness - diversity. Organic search results should unearth different, interesting and comprehensive specialized websites, and Google has failed in those regards.

When it comes to Google, more information style pages may generate more traffic and some scarce conversions. But for ecommerce, the traffic/leads Google sends are cold as ice. Play your cards right, and you may do better as an affiliate in organics than the advertisers are doing in paid.

[MrSavage]

Thanks dad. Content creation is dead/dying without revenue streams. Ask newspapers how their online enterprises are faring. Sure mobile is great. Even great monetized, ad laden, pushed down SERPS's for all. That's a prosperous idea. I'm out of the box. I'm certainly not selling hope which I believe what SEO is. Good luck with that.

[glakes]

Look at the bright side, at least you are not spending more than you receive in sales, or barely break even, like a lot of the Adwords advertisers are. With only 28% of shoppers using search engines first, likely for price shopping primarily, ecommerce in search is drying up faster than a well on a sunny 102° F day. And that 28% is shared among Bing, Google and Yahoo. The other challenge I see with affiliate marketing is computer security. Through Kaspersky Internet Security, all Amazon affiliate cookies get dumped. This must be a default setting because I don't recall setting it. When I click on an Amazon affiliate link, I'm presented with a CAPTCHA on Amazon to continue.

Regardless of what Google does, the damage is done and it will get harder and harder to earn a buck marketing products through search - whether you are an affiliate, retailer or manufacturer. From 2015 to 2016, search engines and retailers lost a combined 11% of first search traffic for products. I would expect 2017 to show a continuation of this trend with no end in sight. Affiliate marketers may do better in industries with little competition, but I'm in such an industry and still don't see much in sales from Google.

[MrSavage]

@glakes, what you speak of is interesting. CAPTCHA? I need to do some reading. Regarding cookies, I don't think there is very much transparency on that topic. I think there needs to be some transparency because sending free traffic on the guise that there are cookies involved is rather disingenuous. If it is as you say, then CJ, Amazon Associates and Linkshare are going out of business. Is there even a topic of this sort in the affiliate forum here? Doubt it. I haven't seen it. I've talked about the mobile banners and app prompts which eliminate the cookies largely to deaf ears. It's up to CJ, Linkshare etc to fight for their business and their partners (us) to make sure cookies are preserved. If not, then F them. It's just smoke and mirrors until the publishers give them the middle finger collectively. If 50% of those sales are cut out because of default settings, then explain the issues openly. I think the fact that there isn't an open affiliate forum discussion on this says volumes. What a crock of you know what. You mention Bing and Yahoo in the same breath as Google? Why is that? You suggest that anything Bing and Yahoo does/did would affect anyones online ventures? Like wow, Bing removed me from their index. It's all over!?

We can talk all day about this and that regarding encroachment on revenue streams. When the #1 dog, the only show in down starts cutting into the action, then the writing is on the wall. The shopping tab in such high prominence is a big deal. Next it will be bold. Who knows. I know if it makes cents it's under consideration. What it is? It's called traffic diversion. Take those converting "searchers" and send them to a path within your own ecosystem. It's great when you run it all.