By Antone Gonsalves , TechWeb Technology News
Google has placed a video link to its homepage, apparently trying to drive more traffic to the service, which the search engine is testing for advertising.
The new link is part of a reshuffle in which Google dropped links to its search engines for books, discussion groups and shopping, placing them in a dropdown box instead. The homepage now shows links to search the Web, images, video and news, and a link to its mapping service.
The impact of adding a spot on Google's homepage was highlighted in findings from Web metrics firm Hitwise, which found that traffic to Google Video more than doubled on Wednesday, the day the link first appeared. Google in May accounted for more than 44 percent of all searches on the Web, according to ComScore Networks.
Google in June confirmed that it's testing an ad program for its video services. Under the limited test, a small number of creators of Google Video's premium content are running streaming ads at the end of videos. In addition, text advertising and the advertiser's logo are shown above the video player. Clicking on either takes the viewer to the advertiser's Web site.
On Friday, Google made it easier to find movie trailers. Typing in a movie title and city would deliver at the top of search results links to the trailer, reviews and times and locations where the film is playing.
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