Internet search ads are due to get a makeover to make them more interesting in the coming months, according to experts (here).

American advertisers are expecting a greater variety of ads on the internet this year, the Wall Street Journal reports, including those designed to engage the consumer more.

“They are putting less emphasis on traditional TV and print ads and instead experimenting with a variety of new techniques – including amateur-style videos posted on YouTube and traditional video commercials on the web,” Brian Steinberg and Suzanne Vranica write.

One particular trend they predict is the jazzing up of search ads – currently not the most imaginative of internet advertisements. Usually they comprise a clickable link with the company name and some accompanying words of text.

This year, however, search ads are likely to become more sophisticated and creative as advertisers tie them back to larger ad campaigns.

Google’s head of north American sales, Penry Price, told the Wall Street Journal that the phrases used in a certain search ad could echo those used in a larger TV or radio spot.

This will “remind them of what they’ve seen maybe on television or what they’ve heard on the radio or what they’ve seen in newspapers or magazines,” he said.

Other trends that are likely to continue into 2007 include putting ads on the sites of well-known bloggers so that they carry an extra authority.

As consumers shun the high street and flock to the web to make purchases, the opportunities for online advertisers are growing rapidly.