Google has announced that it will phase out all of its compare products and tools. The entire compare program will be terminated by the end of March, 2016.
Google’s compare tool is a lead generation platform that Google has used to connect its users with companies in the travel, financial, insurance and mortgage industries. You may recognize its eye-catching photos mixed in with the traditional text ads it shows above the organic listings:
Google has sent emails to companies participating in its compare programs to break the news. Compare.com CEO Andrew Rose claims that the compare tool will be shut down globally. Despite months of experimentation in the SERPs, the tool has not reached the goals that the company had hoped to reach. Google’s foray into comparison shopping reached its peak in late 2015, when the company began showing its compare tool above nearly all of the AdWords ads in relevant queries.
Those close to the company believe that the compare tool failed to generate enough revenue to justify its position in the ad space. AdWords drives a tremendous amount of CPC revenue for Google while comparison shopping can involve long lead times and wasted dollars. Google may have decided to stick with what works reliably. AdWords drives nearly 66% of Google’s total revenue, making the compare tool a costly project to pursue.
Both screenshots taken by Author in February 2016. Featured image via Shutterstock.
