Since Google is the search king, everyone wants to get their site to be right at the top of search results so when their target customers go looking for information relevant to their business, those customers find them first. Paying for Google PPC ads is a great shortcut to search visibility since search engine optimization can take months before you get results – and only if you are utilizing an effective strategy.
As a company that is built around writing and developing high quality, unique online content, our focus is driving increases in traffic and conversion via organic search. However, we understand that PPC advertising has its advantages for those small businesses that can afford to pay to drive traffic.
Here’s a quick look at the major benefits and drawbacks to help you decide if they are truly worth it:
Pros
- They allow you to target the right customers. You can tailor your Google ads so that they are appearing to the customers you want for your business. You can choose variables like keywords, time zones, and more to help you get the exposure you want with just the right search base. That way, you focus your efforts on the customers who are most likely to want your products, rather than wasting time or money on those who don’t.
- They give you increased exposure right away. You don’t have to wait months for your SEO strategy to start paying off and your page rank to start slowly climbing up. Google Ads are a great way to steadily grow your site (if you have the budget for it) or to give a big boost to a new product launch.
- They give you a potential SEO boost. There is some speculation about how much paid ads play into search algorithms, but some marketers suggest that the ads help you to increase the ranking of your site. At the very least, they do drive more traffic to your site, which does improve your ranking.
Cons
- They are very expensive. Even if you are targeting keywords with low competition, you will still end up paying a lot of money for your ads. If you are targeting competitive keywords, you will have to pay a lot just to get on the board, but will have to pay even more to rank your ad high enough to get seen. If you are just starting out, Google Ads might be out of your budget – unless you only focus on campaigns that last a day or two.
- A lot of trial and error is required. Simply putting up a Google Ad won’t result in a flood of traffic. You have to experiment with keywords, bids, headlines, and more to get results from your ad, and that can take some time.
Personally, I never click on Google ads. And as a savvy Internet user, you may be thinking exactly the same. But, the truth is, most people still don’t realize that the ‘paid’ listings on a Google results page are actually ads. In fact, Google makes ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS per day from search advertising.
Overall, Google Ads are a good investment as they can get your business good results. However, you have to consider all the pros and cons to determine how best to use them for your company. Like most marketing tactics, we recommend you test the waters and find out what works best for your company.
Teesa Vaz
