The benefit of Google AdWords is that it works faster than SEO. Both SEO and Google AdWords are search engine marketing strategies to generate more traffic and leads. But, a well optimised AdWords campaign can work much faster for a business to get the much coveted first spot in search.
Additionally, the platform is more transparent, and you know exactly what is happening with the ads. On the other hand, search engine optimisation, though very beneficial, is a long-term process. To rank for any keyword, it requires a lot of perseverance and a lot of well-written articles, and backlinks. And even then, it takes a while for them to gain the necessary authority.
Simply put. ads give you instant visibility at an instant cost, whereas SEO would give you long term success, depending on the effort you put on the quality of your content. But, I am not here to debate one strategy’s benefits over the other. You need to use both simultaneously, but be realistic about the success time frame, and the effort/money that would be needed for both.
Google AdWords, in addition to boosting traffic, clicks, and conversions, is also an efficient way to tell people about your brand. To verify this, Google partnered with Ipsos to run a study across 12 verticals, right from automobiles to retail. It was discovered that search ads lift top-of-mind awareness by an average of 6.6%. Benefits of Google Adwords - brand awareness Source: Google When it comes to SEO, your rank also depends on the number of your brand name searches and its variations. That’s another reason you should aim to increase brand awareness through search, as well as display ads.
You shouldn’t start using Google AdWords just because your friend found success with it. You need to know first if it makes senses for you and your business, and if it does, what types of ads would work best for you.
Google AdWords would be the answer for your business only if you meet these criteria:
Is your audience online?
Are the keywords related to your business being searched online? Use Google’s Keyword Planner to research this.
On a personal note, I would prefer bidding on keywords when the minimum search volume is more than 500 per month, and this search volume shows an upward trend. Are online magazines and bloggers publishing articles related to your industry or service?
Search for your keyword online to see if Google throws relevant answers. Are your competitors investing online (paid or unpaid channels)? Use keyword tools like Adwords keyword planner, WordStream, MOZ, Keyword Tool and more to gauge the traffic & bid for your keyword. These tools would also suggest other related keywords which would help you experiment more.
If you would like us to help you start a google ads campaign don’t hesitate to contact us for more info.