SEO | Google Ads | CCH Web Manager Help Centre

Google Ads

Google Ads allows businesses to display ads on Google's Search Engine Results Page (SERP) to help them stand out and reach prospects when they search for the type of services they offer.

You will often see two types of results on the Search Engine Results Page - Ads and organic search results. Google Ads are always accompanied by an 'Ads' label and can be shown above or below the organic search results. Organic search results are for well optimised websites with content that is directly related to the search term.

Google Ads is a tool you can use to have your business ad appear at the top of the page on a Google search engine results page (SERP). And while this sounds like a great option for getting your site to show up 'at the top' of Google, often you can achieve the same or better results by focusing on your organic search results. Below are some reasons (cons) to consider for not using Google Ads.

Any business, regardless of size, wants to be found at the top of a Google Search Engine Result Page (SERP). With Google Ads you can target users via the Search Engine Results Page on Google. Advertisers can display their ads to users who enter those keywords into Google as their search query, even where their organic Search Engine Rankings don't qualify them to be on the front page for that particular search term. This form of advertising is also recognised as 'pay per click' and 'paid search'.

Google Ads allows you to target specific audiences based on factors such as the users location, search history, and interests. This means that businesses can create ads that are highly relevant to their target audience, increasing the chances of clicks and conversions. Google Ads also provides detailed analytics about the ad campaigns, including information on impressions, clicks, conversions, and more. This data can be used to make informed decisions about how to optimize ad campaigns, improving their effectiveness and return on investment.

Pros

1) Measurable: Google AdWords allows you to track your ad campaign including the number of clicks, number of impressions, click through rate (CTR), cost per click (CPC), conversion rate, number of conversions, cost per acquisition (CPA) etc.

2) Cost effective: Google AdWords can be a cost effective way to boost traffic to your website. You only pay when someone clicks on your ad (i.e. your cost per click).

3) Advertise locally or globally: Targeting customers in specific countries, regions or cities helps to widen your business reach.

4) Around the clock insights: See how your ads perform at any time by logging into your Google AdWords account. You can adjust your ads, try new search terms, pause your campaign and re-start whenever you feel like it.
Cons

1) Cost: Before spending money on your paid advertising through Google Ads, we recommend you first work on your page titles, search descriptions and content within your site. If you can improve your search rankings organically to appear on the first page, you may not need to pay for listings.

2) Competition: While the most relevant ads are presented to the user first, if there are 10 other advertisers who have all 'bid' $3 per click for their ad, and you only bid $1 per click, your ad may not display at all.

3) Time: To get the best out of a Google Ads listing, you need to review and monitor your account regularly. And before you can do that you need to understand the complexities of a well-optimised Ads account. We recommend you first spend this time improving your website content, page titles and search descriptions to achieve organic SEO improvements.

4) Ambiguous: Some users may know that a Google Ads ad isn't a result of organic Search Engine Optimisation and while they understand the ad may still represent information relevant to their search, they would rather explore the results which haven't been paid for.

Pros

Cons