Text ad on Google Finance

Yesterday Google quietly introduced text ads into Google Finance pages.

"Up" and "down" buttons in the lower left-hand corner of the banner enable users to scroll through the ads, most of which promote finance grants, penny stock options or discount brokerages.

Ported from AdWords, messages appear one at a time in a large space on the right-hand side of the page:

Whether image-based or video ads follow suit will likely depend on the reception this virgin effort receives. The move has already sparked passionate discourse amongst Google Finance users: Some called it a "smart move," while others commented on the speed with which the decision was apparently made, speculating whether the search and ad giant was in financial trouble.

"The company now has resorted to posting ads in Google Finance - this just screams to me that they are scrambling to make ad dollars at the expense of site quality," argued discussion member JayZ, admonishing users to "short this puppy" — meaning sell Google's stock.

PPCASTANEDA also wondered if Google was experiencing "some problems in this quarter revenue."

Other commentators appeared primarily concerned with the ads' hasty incorporation onto the site. PPCASTANEDA surmised (sic), "i think they will change the position" of the ads, presumably to make them less invasive.

Earlier this month, Google loosened restrictions on beer advertising in AdWords — a move aimed at opening new currents to revenue, according to armchair analysts. And last week, it began selling video ad space within YouTube search results.