Google ads & SEO: Understanding the relationship

This is branded content.

The past few years have seen knowledge of digital marketing go from a luxury to an absolute necessity for many businesses.

As more people have been stuck at home across the globe and brick and mortar stores have had their hands forced in shifting to the digital landscape, being able to stand out against the ever-growing crowds has become more vital than ever before.

Because of this, many owners and managers are now faced with questions of how to proceed with their online marketing efforts, and this tends to break down into two areas: the use of Google Ads and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).

First things first, let's get this out of the way: Google Ads and Search Engine Optimisation are not mutually exclusive.

Any good Google Ads agency is also more than likely to be proficient in SEO and any experienced SEO agency is likely to have a strong understanding of Google Ads.

However, whilst they may be used in tandem, that doesn't mean they are the same thing:

Have you ever looked up your competition on Google and noticed that the same few businesses always seem to be maintaining the first few spots at the top of the page?

Ever wondered how businesses that may not have had the time to properly build authority have still managed to surpass much larger competitors in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERP)? It's more than likely that they are working with a Google Ads agency.

Google Ads is a service within Google that allows businesses to promote themselves through the platform on a pay-per-click basis.

These ads generally appear at the top of a page, and the business behind them will pay Google a certain specified amount of money for each person that decides to click through to their website.

Unfortunately, whilst Google Ads can get you a lot of immediate clicks and attention if you have chosen your audience demographics and budgeting correctly, that ranking at the top spot is not self-sustained.

Therefore, once you stop paying, your listing will be gone. For more sustainable, long-term rankings, there's SEO.

Unlike Google Ads, Search Engine Optimisation builds over time, providing less immediate results and offering far longer-lasting results than its ad-based counterpart. SEO is the process of making your website as appealing to search engine algorithms as possible, encompassing several digital marketing disciplines, such as:

- Content marketing (on-site blogging, keyword optimisation for landing pages, etc.)

- Link building (creating links back to your site from authoritative websites)

- Creating Directory Listings

- Website usability optimisations

Search engines like Google want to provide their users with highly relevant results and a positive experience, meaning that your site needs to be user-friendly and offer relevant authority in your field to be seen as a viable search result.

By working on your SEO, you can build authority and credibility whilst also boosting your ranking potential in the long term over time.

If you're a business that is relying on new customers finding and interacting with your website, then you need to have short and long term strategies in place to draw in and maintain that traffic.

Therefore, the ideal scenario would be being able to get quick wins and long-term growth at the same time. This is where the relationship between Google Ads and SEO becomes increasingly important.

By utilising Google Ads, you can start drawing traffic to your website and get your name out there within the audiences and demographics that would be most interested.

Meanwhile, SEO will, when used correctly, create a better user experience on your site and increase the chances of you naturally ranking for those big key search terms; you can future-proof your online presence whilst still reaping the rewards of a Google Ads agency.

~

Digital marketing can appear quite intimidating when you first start, but it's a near-necessary skill in the current digital landscape, and will serve you well in the long run.

A service like Google Ads may not be directly relevant to your goals right now, but understanding it now will allow you the tools you need to plan for the future more effectively. Good luck!