Let’s talk about what they are first. Google ads are a pay-per-click advertising method for participating businesses to show up first in Search results. Even though money’s on the table now, there’s still not enough room for everybody. So, similar to Google Search, Google uses its algorithms to determine which sponsored businesses are the most relevant to someone’s search. Then, the final few that Google chose in the sponsored ranking are displayed at the top of the results page before any organic (meaning, not sponsored) business listings and websites.
As an example, if I search for tie died shirts in Redondo Beach, CA using my desk top, the two most relevant sponsored businesses (at the time of this publication) show at the top of the results. If I select either one of those, then my action to click it is what costs something against that company’s ad budget.
After those two, Google offers me some physical locations that may be able to help me find tie died shirts using Google Business/Maps listings, and then we finally get to the non-sponsored, organically displayed sites.
If I do the exact same search in Chrome using my cell phone, I get a different set of sponsored listings. In all of its helpfulness, Google is possibly factoring in that I’m on-the-go, therefore giving me local, brick and mortar businesses for me to go to so I can buy my shirt. After the sponsored listings and the Google Business/Maps listings, I get the same organic results as my desk top search.
Showing up organically in Search results then becomes vitally important. Ads come and go and have their own set of algorithm rules they’re subject to, but a site that shows up organically has consistently stronger staying power in ranking. Investing in search engine optimization (SEO) is what helps a website have the best possible ranking without purchasing ads. If you purchase ads for your business but don’t have a well-done SEO on your website, you’re invisible again as soon as your ad campaign is over. And – depending on how well the campaign was designed – you may not have gotten the results you hoped for there either.
Depending on the industry of the business, setting up Google ads can be complex, and it’s a good practice to let a professional with experience initiate and monitor it for you. Just make sure you start your campaign after SEO is completed on your website. That’s the one thing you can do before buying ads to set your website up for more holistic success.
At La Mejor Website, we don’t always recommend Google ads to our clients. It depends on the business, industry, location and competition involved. Over the years of building our own online presence, what has been the most successful in our business exposure and sales conversions is staying focused on organic SEO. We diligently follow the same “SEO success secrets” that we openly share with all of you, and we will continue to empower you as the online landscape evolves with AI and Google’s ongoing enhancements.
If you want to better understand how SEO works, you can read this article for more details. And if you want to check the pulse of your website or discuss if Google Ads may be a good fit for your business, contact us for a free analysis and consultation. We will make an honest recommendation based on 15 years of experience. Need more social proof? Check out one of our 150+ Five-Star Google reviews.