Google to show sponsored apps on Play Store search results

The search giant has looked at how sponsored advertisements have performed on organic search results and now Google will be introducing a similar system for developers to take advantage of. In the coming weeks, a limited selection of consumers will see adverts from a pilot group of advertisers running the new system for their apps.There's a reason a developer might want to promote their app on Google Play: there's good money to be made. Says Google:

In fact, in the past year, we paid more than $7 billion to developers distributing apps and games on Google Play. We remain as committed as ever to making Google Play the best place to find great apps, games and other entertainment.

It'll be interesting to see how developers (and the larger companies like King and co.) utilize search ads within the store, and whether or not they will be of any use for consumers. More than 100 billion searches are made every month in Google Play, so there's a huge opportunity for exposure here — developers will just have to pay for it.