Does Google Ads Help SEO? Understanding the Relationship
Search engine optimization (SEO) and Google Ads are two important digital marketing strategies used to increase visibility and drive traffic to a website. Many marketers, especially beginners, wonder if running Google Ads campaigns can help improve their SEO. The short answer is no, Google Ads does not directly help with SEO.
What is SEO?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It refers to the process of optimizing a website and its content to achieve higher rankings in the organic search results of search engines like Google. The goal of SEO is to earn unpaid organic traffic by ranking highly for relevant search queries.
SEO focuses on things like:
- Optimizing page content and metadata
- Improving website speed and technical SEO
- Earning high-quality backlinks
- Encouraging engagement and time on site
If done correctly, websites can garner significant organic traffic through SEO.
What are Google Ads?
Google Ads (formerly known as Google AdWords) refers to paid ads on Google that advertisers bid on to show up for certain keyword searches. For instance, a shoe company bids on the search query "buy running shoes" so that their ad appears above or alongside the organic results.
Advertisers pay Google only when users click on these paid ads, also called pay-per-click or PPC ads. Google Ads enable businesses to get instant visibility and traffic for high-commercial searches relevant to their offerings.
So How Do Google Ads Impact SEO?
As we mentioned in the beginning, Google Ads does not directly help websites rank better in SEO and organic search. Google keeps its organic search algorithm and paid advertising systems completely separate. Simply running Google Ads campaigns will not lead to better organic rankings.
However, Google Ads can indirectly boost SEO over the long run. This is because promoted ads increase brand visibility and awareness. The more users see your brand name via Google Ads, the more likely they may be to search for your brand organically later on.
These additional brand name searches driven by increased awareness do have the potential to incrementally improve your organic traffic and SEO through brand search optimization. But the correlation is more indirect than direct when it comes to Google Ads presence leading to better SEO performance.
The Bottom Line
So in summary, Google Ads does not directly enhance SEO, but it can complement an organic search strategy when used effectively. Google Ads offers instant visibility and traffic, while SEO drives free, more sustainable search growth.
Using both together can maximize awareness, traffic quality and volume over both short and long periods of time for impactful online presence.
If you need affordable PPC campaign management, reach out to us for dedicated Google Ads services. Our team can help set up and optimize Google Ads to complement your SEO strategies for increased visibility.
This article was written with the support of A.I. technology.
