You want to get more traffic to your website. Do you invest in Google Ads or SEO? Let’s delve into this common question to understand how Google Ads is often the clear winner and how to use it not just for search but other channels too.
For years, Google Ads has been one of the most crucial and reliable tools for a digital marketing strategy. The ability to funnel high-quality traffic from search results to your website, with measurable costs and conversions, has given rise to the platform’s incredible popularity today.
But the benefits don’t stop there. Recently, targeting improvements in the display network and the increasing centrality of videos (i.e. on Youtube) make this platform a go-to for eCommerce projects, Lead Generation, and brand awareness goals.
Let’s explore the main advantages of Google Ads.
Capturing a Conscious Demand
Most often, Google Ads is associated with sponsored ads on the search network. Google’s search network allows you to publish paid ads that often rank above the organic results. You can be highly selective in targeting users’ search terms to capture only the most relevant traffic for the activity you’re promoting.
Matching keywords to specific relevant ads will allow users to see your ad when looking for the exact product or service you want to promote.
Google Ads works as a dynamic auction that all advertisers can access. The amount you pay depends on:
- The cost for the click (CPC): It will be determined by the competition according to how many advertisers are interested in the same searches.
- The maximum cost per click (Max. CPC) – is how much you are willing to spend for a single click.
- The Quality Score is a score from 1 to 10 that Google will assign based on the relevance of the ad in regards to the user’s search, and their experience on the designated landing page.
Therefore, capturing conscious demand (i.e. users who are actively looking for a product or service at the exact moment they need it) is an extraordinary opportunity for eCommerce, lead generation projects and local businesses.
However, Google is not only a search engine. Google also allows you to publish campaigns within the ecosystem of “satellite platforms” (e.g. Play Store, Youtube) and many websites that have allowed Google to place advertisements on their site.
Latent Demand: The Display Network Opportunity
Google’s display ad network allows you to reach users with targeted ads while they browse their favourite websites. This ad network can help you capture users’ attention earlier in the buying cycle, as well s retarget users who already visited your site or app
One of Google’s greatest features is their custom in-market segments that target people who have shown an intent to purchase a particular type of product (based on theri browsing behaviour). For many businesses this can be crucial to online marketing success.
YouTube
Video is one of the primary formats for content in online marketing and YouTube is the platform of choice for research and use of video content.
Google owns YouTube, and through Google Ads, you can reach millions of people by leveraging the immense Youtube’s daily traffic.
Youtube is a great way to showcase your product, increase brand awareness, and it is the perfect tool for the higher parts of the funnel. It’s a huge growing advertising platform with massive potential in terms of reach.
Google Shopping, a compulsory choice for eCommerce
More and more users are using Google to find products that are available immediately and at the best price.
Google Shopping allows eCommerce advertisers to get infront of people actively searching for their products without needing to define hundreds of keywords.
This tool minimises your efforts to sell online with maximum control over actual spending and return on investment, which is crucial for an effective marketing strategy.
Google Shopping, a compulsory choice for eCommerce
More and more users are using Google to find products that are available immediately and at the best price.
Google Shopping allows eCommerce advertisers to get infront of people actively searching for their products without needing to define hundreds of keywords.
This tool minimises your efforts to sell online with maximum control over actual spending and return on investment, which is crucial for an effective marketing strategy.
Google Ads vs SEO
Predictability
One of the common arguments against Google Ads is the cost of traffic, which is weighed up against ‘free’ organic traffic, which can be increased through targeted serach enging optimisation (SEO).
However, SEO is relatively unpredictable, in both time and results. It is also long term and may not yield results for many months.
SEO can also be ineffective if competing against established competitors with well-known web domains. Google Ads on the other hand provide immediate results and can be adjusted at any time to suit your needs.
In short, SEO is a long-term strategy whereas Google Ads provide instant results.
Organics don’t always mean FREE
While it’s true you pay for every click on a Google Ad, there is also investment needed in SEO. This might take the form of establishing backlinks, regular content or blog updates, and on-going monitoring of the website SEO standing.
Both require investment and neither is necessarily cheaper than the other.
Opportunity
Google is’nt a nonprofit organisation, search results have changed dramatically to give more and more prominence to sponsored ads.
Particularly on mobile, it’s increasingly common to find the first organic result “below the fold”. For this reason, taking control of paid traffic is an important part of an excellent online marketing strategy.
In Conclusion
Google Ads is excellent at capturing conscious demand with measurable costs and results. But more than that, it provides incredible opportunities in all phases of the sales funnel, thanks to the richness and size of the ecosystem that it belongs to.
If you’d like some more help, get in touch with AS Digital today.
