Google Search Results 2001

Getting the Most out of Google Ads with SEO

Article Updated: September 3, 2019

Advertising options with Google Ads are getting better, particularly for ecommerce businesses. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed with Adwords but it isn’t as complicated as many may want you to think. Nevertheless, changes subtly introduced by Google over recent years has made Google Adss more important than it once was. Well, actually, very important.

Why Adwords Matters More Than Ever

There was a time when great SEO could get you at the top of Google Search results. That was before Google moved Google Ad advert display to the top of the page while blending the look of adverts to pretty much match organic search results. You have to give it to Google. They provided their search engine and organic results visually dominating the page for a long time before they blended adverts into the top of the page.

It doesn’t take a neural marketing specialist’s research to get a pretty good understanding of the difference this has made. Ads that appear very similar to search results are very likely to be perceived (knowingly or unknowingly) as good as organic search results by Google Search users (this was not the case in past). That is more likely when they’re at the top of the page, right? Use a mobile device and you’ll probably only see Google Ads because that’s all that can display on your screen unless you scroll down – and who’s got the time for that?

Just take a look at the difference today compared to 2001 above…

Google Search Results 2018

Google Enhancing Google Ads

Google doesn’t want to display adverts that people don’t click on or don’t display and don’t result in conversions (whatever goal that is). So while we still use the term “keywords” a lot and Google even changed the name to Google Ads to remove the “Adwords” as Search doesn’t rely on keywords and search terms like it once did. Google Ads takes in a whole lot more than just a few keywords.

If you’ve got a Google Account, you can even tell Google directly what you are interested in and you are not.

There’s so much going on and it is happening fast. Let’s just take a look at some recent announcements by Google on their algorithm updates, which is also directly related to how Google displays the right adverts at the right time to the right people.

  • Increased personalisation of results based on what Google knows about users
  • If your site is not fast you will be coming last
  • Google Optimize allows for free, developer-free split testing tools and tech directly to Analytics
  • More audio is making up the total volume of searches as people “Go Google” and Google records all that audio (not to mention Google Voice VoIP improvements)
  • Google is putting mobile first, meaning that mobile is more important than desktop to Google

SEO is Dead Just Go With Adwords – Wrong

This is definitely not the case. The best way to describe the purpose of SEO is not to be just about getting you great organic results, it is to give much better Adwords results. The tricks and games to generate better search results used to deliver better organic search results just don’t work anymore. That’s not what SEO is about now. By following Google’s Webmaster Guidelines, you’ll have a better website that’s easier for users to enjoy. The last thing we want visitors to do is “navigate” your website. SEO has evolved, it’s the foundation of your content marketing strategy.

It’s definitely true you can forget about SEO, at least in what is once represented. But great onsite SEO is about a good site structure and good content organisation, right through to great page content. All of that has a huge impact when working with Adwords.

It’s really hard to get adverts to work well with pages that don’t have sufficient clear content or are loaded with images lacking proper onpage SEO. Adwords doesn’t suggest the right keywords, sends the wrong search terms to your adverts, which pretty quickly turns into fewer displays, fewer clicks and the spiral down continues. You pay more for less ROI until it just doesn’t work.

Onsite SEO Can Save You Big Bucks & Earn You More

Apart from helping you get better results on Adds, on-site optimisation is often the very effective way to tune up your website to give you better organic results and much better Ad conversions.

Let’s say your site is a bit of a mess, in terms of onsite SEO and organisational structure. The investment in onsite SEO will result in will result in better Adss ROI. If you are spending even $1000 a month on Ads, putting half of that towards good onsite SEO for a couple to 6 months will result in a much bigger return on the investment the total investment and then ongoing Adwords in the months to come.

Google makes it very clear that landing page experience is a huge factor in the performance and lower cost of Adwords. Improving each landing page one at a time so that you have a good foundation for adgroups or a couple of adverts still only works on one part of the puzzle at a time. It’s like polishing the wheels of your car hoping the prospective buyer is only looking at the tyres. It’s a lengthy and drawn out process one improvement at a time compared with giving your website an economical tune-up and spit and polish all over at the lowest cost to deliver maximum results – and that can be done.

If you want some help, just get in touch with us at RD.

Posted in Adwords, SEO.