Microsoft seems to be testing replacing the hard to see ad label with a longer sponsored label in the Bing Search results. So instead of it saying "ad" next to the search ads, it is testing showing "sponsored" text next to the search ads.
Google uses "Sponsored" text next to its ads, at least currently.
This was spotted by Khushal Bherwani who posted a bunch of screenshots on X this morning - here is one:
Here is another:
This is the same ad with the normal "ads" label:
Here is what I see for the ad label - it says "ad" not "sponsored."
Here are more screenshots:
just lil confused , this is about sponsored label
— Khushal Bherwani (@b4k_khushal) October 2, 2024
more examples - pic.twitter.com/1gvVFsPrF0
Just a reminder, Bing has some of the hardest-to-see ad labels in its search results. Bing even tested some super tricky ad labels and hidden labels that blend into the organic results.
Do you like that it says "sponsored" instead of "ads"? I know this is just a test.
Forum discussion at X.