Did you think that because you are on the first search engine result page for a particular keyword, there is no benefit in running ads on that page.  Maybe you feel that since you are already on the front page, why should you buy an ad there? You will still benefit from search advertising, and you receive greater value than those who do not appear in the organic results.

I have an account that had 3 of the top 10 listings on their most successful and relevant keyword search – yet their ad, shown in the margin, often brings as much traffic and occasionally more traffic! More importantly, the traffic from the ad converts equally as well!

Why would the ad work better than the organic results?

1)   The ad responds to more keywords! The website appears in organic results for only a handful of keywords, but the ad campaign responds to over 70 keywords.

2)   The parallel listing of your website in organic results and in the ads, produces a synergy that makes your site appear more relevant. Prospects see that the search engine considers it relevant, and they believe that your paid ad means you think it is relevant.

3)   Paid ad results are gaining ground. Initially, searchers preferred the organic results. They may still prefer them for research, however, buyers seek  suppliers over information and they have learned that the businesses behind the ads are ready to sell!

Next time, I’ll reveal a strategy to use SEO and SEM together and compare the two.