Google has spent the best part of almost its entire existence denying the concept of Troogle - a travel vertical aggregating its existing and related content with organic search and metasearch.
The content side of the suggestion has played out in a number of different ways.
But the real reason for such swift dismissals from Mountain View - unofficial, most of the time - is why would Google risk irritating many of its existing advertisers by partnering with a metasearch provider or a well-sourced OTA?
Many will remember the rumours sweeping around the web in 2008 regarding a collaboration or buyout by Google with Expedia - for similar reasons, many believed, to Microsoft's acquisition of Farecast.
Despite the denials (go to any industry conference and the Google representative will always rebut a question about travel verticals), the concept and worries have remained.
But think carefully about the recent announcements - social search, live search - and many of the elements are slipping into place. Content, context and concept-rich search coupled with mapping, videos and other multimedia.
Conspiracy theory or over-egging? Probably...
And that was until this announcement from the Googleplex.
Google is running a pilot of a service which effectively creates a metasearch of mortgage products within the AdWords programme.
When users type in the following search result, for example, they will see some new functionality within the PPC results to allow users to narrow their requirements.
Click further and they will be presented with a not too unfamiliar looking metasearch-type category and listing portal.
Users can alter the search requirements and, similar to traditional metasearch, click on the outbound button to find themselves on the source site.
The people behind Comparison Ads, as Google calls it, have this to say:
"At this time, Comparison Ads will only show to a small number of users in select U.S. states and is only available to a limited number of advertisers in the mortgage/refinance space.
"Over time, we'll increase the number of users who see Comparison Ads offers as well as the number of advertisers able to participate."
"At this time, Comparison Ads will only show to a small number of users in select U.S. states and is only available to a limited number of advertisers in the mortgage/refinance space.
"Over time, we'll increase the number of users who see Comparison Ads offers as well as the number of advertisers able to participate."
Now would those "advertisers" perhaps be travel advertisers?
Finance is one of the biggest PPC revenue verticals for Google. The others are motors and travel.
Using Comparison Ads as the tool neatly removes potential accusations of bias that Google would face if it partnered with an OTA or metasearch provider.
Although extremely early stages, this is another potential game-changer in the travel sector. Seeing comparison duties taken on by the world's biggest search engine has huge implications.
- PPC ad copywriting
- Product feeds
- Google client servicing
- Product sourcing
- Feed reliability
- Placement within Google real estate
- AdSense extension
But whenever the concept of Troogle (re)surfaces, there are inevitably more questions than answers.