Wouldn’t it be great if you could make your brand magically appear in front of potential customers who have been looking for products like the ones you sell? Well, thanks to the wonders of online advertising, you can. All you need is a little help from Google Ads. Since it was first introduced in 2000, Google Ads (formerly known as Google AdWords) has changed the digital marketing game forever. Want to know how?
Google Ads is an online advertising platform that runs on pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. For the uninitiated, PPC advertising means that the advertiser only pays the publisher (in this case, Google) when someone clicks on their ad. Google was the first mainstream platform to introduce PPC advertising in 2002. Since then, PPC has only grown bigger. According to recent research, search ad spending will reach $191 billion by 2024.
A common misconception surrounding Google Ads is that the market has become too over-saturated for them to work properly. With so many brands competing against each other, sceptics say, the general public has grown tired of paid advertising. Well, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, PPC advertising has never been more effective than it is today.
We could go on to list a handful of reasons why we think Google Ads are still worth your time and money. But instead, we’ll just let the numbers do the talking. To really hammer the point home, we have compiled a few stats that prove that PPC advertising is more alive than ever.
1. PPC is a top three conversions generator
Your conversion rate is the percentage of your visitors who either give you their contact information or purchase your products or services. This is one of the most useful stats in digital marketing. Why? It’s simple. Your conversion rate helps you discern whether your website is actually succeeding in convincing visitors to spend money on your products.
According to a recent study, PPC ads constitute the third biggest conversion generator with 17% of all total conversions coming from paid advertisements. PPC is just behind email marketing (18%), which usually targets previous customers, and on-page website conversions (24%).
2. PPC generates more visitors than organic traffic
Another common misconception of digital advertising is that organic traffic attracts visitors more effectively than Google Ads. Well, the numbers don’t agree. In fact, research shows that PPC brings in twice the amount of visitors versus organic traffic. This is because paid search advertising attracts potential customers who have shown an interest in products and services that are similar to the ones you offer.
On the other hand, organic traffic tools such as SEO rely more on targeting people who are actively searching for your product. That being said, you need to keep in mind that Google Ads and organic traffic-generating tools are not competing strategies. In fact, combining them will bring you closer to achieving the best possible results for your digital marketing campaign.
3. Almost two-thirds of people have clicked on a Google Ad
This is a sobering stat for anyone who thinks that users skip paid ads and go straight to organic search results. According to HubSpot’s State of Marketing Report, 63% of people have clicked on a Google ad at some point. The number is so impressive that it bears repeating – 63% of all people have engaged with a Google ad.
4. 92% of all online searches are done on Google
Since its inception in 1998, Google has dominated the search engine market. In recent years, the California-based company has completely obliterated competitors such as Yahoo or Bing. As of April 2022, more than 92% of all online searches are conducted on Google. This means that your target audience will inevitably use Google at some point – and if you target them properly, they’ll come across your ad.
5. More than 50% of adults can’t differentiate between an ad and an organic result
One of the best things about Google Ads is that they merge seamlessly into search results pages. Certain marketing experts think that the general public can tell the difference between a paid ad and an organic search result – however, the numbers suggest otherwise. According to a recent independent survey, 55% of UK adults don’t recognise Google ads as paid advertisements – meaning they’re more likely to trust them.
6. For every £1 spent on Google Ads, companies earn £2 in revenue
One of the things that drives certain companies away from Google Ads is that you have to make an initial investment. However, the numbers show that the rewards you will reap soon exceed the money you invest at the beginning. Research conducted by leading economist Hal Varian shows that for every £1 that a company spends on Google Ads, they receive £2 in profit. And that is through paid adverts alone. Pair that with organic search strategies and the number will skyrocket to £8.
7. 75% of people claim that paid ads simplify their searches
As a society, we’ve come to value convenience more than everything. We have digital assistants that can tell us what the weather’s like instead of looking out the window and voice-operated smart kitchen appliances to cook for us. In the digital marketing world, convenience is king too. After all, why would you spend hours searching for a product when you can just click on the first search result that pops up in front of you?
This might sound like armchair psychology, but it is actually factual information based on data. The numbers reinforce the idea that customers value convenience over everything else – especially when it comes to online purchases. In a recent survey, leading ratings and reviews platform Clutch found that 75% of people think that paid advertisements helped them find what they were looking for.
Get the best results from day one
Are Google Ads worth it for accountants and accounting firms?
The verdict is in – yes, they are, and more than ever before. As a full-service digital marketing agency, Rapport Digital can help you combine PPC and SEO strategies to achieve long-lasting results that increase your reach and enhance your conversion rate from the very first day.
Want to hear more? Then get in touch today at hello@rapportdigital.com and we’ll help you develop effective PPC campaigns to make your brand stand out.