Microsoft Bing Arduous To See Ad Label In Picture Search

We covered a number of the tests Microsoft Bing Search has been trying around its ad labels, mostly around it making the ad label harder and harder to tell if it is an ad or not. Now, in Bing’s image search, Bing is doing the same.

Here is a screenshot from Frank Sandtmann as he posted on Mastodon. As you can see, there is a transparent ad label by the “Places to stay” ads, that is gray text on a gray background. Then if you look at the image results, there is a white ad label on a white image. I should note, the white ad label does look better and more visible on black or darker images.

Also, you will see the 360 image feature on the left of that white ad label, which is nice.

Frank wrote, “Bing is testing “sneaky” ads again. This time on image SERPs with small white “Ad” labels in the top left corner of those images.

Is this really a valid and reasonable way for companies to acquire new customers?!

In the second example also a 360° image is displayed in the first organic position. Not sure if this one is new, too.”

Forum discussion at Mastodon.