Getting your website seen in Google’s results is never easy. The algorithms are top secrets which Google never release, therefore ensuring your SEO practices are always first class is a priority. Google, however, does need to earn money and it does so by letting companies purchase ads that are placed at the top of Google search results. While free traffic is always pleasant it is time to look into why combining great SEO tactics with Google Ads (using the Price Per Click model) is the best strategy for your company going forward.
Ads Are Becoming More Prominent
In the early-mid 2000’s, Google Ads present on the first page of various Google results pages were barely visible. This is changing rapidly with the latest research indicating sponsored ads take up 85.2% of the space available when an individual arrives on the results page after searching for a particular keyword. In this day in age people rush, i.e. they do not scroll down to look at all relevant results as much as they did in the past.
Organic + Ads Enhances Trust
Google Ads convert better than organic traffic, however, studies have shown the combination of an organic search result near the top of search along with a paid advertisement increases the conversion rates. Human behaviour indicates people trust brands that are heavily featured front and centre more than those that are not.
Short Tail Keywords vs. Long Tail Keywords
There are millions of search phrases entered into Google every day, including many combinations of keywords that no one has ever used before. While it is great to get seen on specific keywords with lots of traffic, a lot of search traffic can arrive by using less common long tail keywords. SEO practices can fine-tune your site to rank on these less searched results bringing in traffic you are potentially missing out on. These small wins can add up to a lot of highly targeted traffic to your website.
Getting traffic via Google is getting tougher for those who do not keep up with the revolving search trends. Companies have always paid for their brand in various forms in the past, therefore it is not unreasonable that Google now rewards those who are willing to pay for ads on their platform. If you are not convinced yet, Google has said ‘Brands with a #1 organic search ranking can get 50% more clicks on average by paying for an accompanying ad’.
