Google to Test U.S. Newspaper Ad Sales

Google, the search giant, is expected to announce on Monday that it will soon begin offering newspaper advertisements for sale on its website as part of a test program designed to simplify the way print advertisers buy space in U.S. newspapers, including The New York Times and The Washington Post, WashingtonPost.com reports.

Google Screenshot

The news was originally reported by The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal via their websites, and those news outlets said some 50 newspapers in the United States would participate in the trial, according to WashingtonPost.com.

A source confirmed to WashingtonPost.com that the Post would participate in the trial as well, but spoke on a condition of anonymity because the news had not yet been made official.

Mountain View, Calif.-based Google is expected to announce the three-month test program today, which is meant to make it easier for advertisers to go to the Google website, locate the publication in which they are interested, find various ad rates and eventually purchase space in that newspaper, WashingtonPost.com reports.

Google already offers online advertisements via its site, and it also brokers print magazine ads, though that business has been slow to pick up, according to the source who confirmed the Post’s participation in the upcoming trial. Google has also said in the past that it would eventually offer television and radio advertisements, WashingtonPost.com reports.

The announcement comes at a time when newspapers are facing rapid declines in readership and subscription rates—as well as ad sales and the resulting revenue—due to the growing popularity of online and television news sources, as well as other news outlets, many of which offer content free of charge.