Do a Google search. Does anything look different to you? As of last week, Google rolled out an update that will seriously change the SEO game. Now, the familiar list of ads that previously appeared on the right-hand side of search results pages has been removed. Instead, an extra PPC ad appears at the top of the results list above the organic results for "highly commercial" terms . This means that on many searches, four ads take up the first valuable spots on Google's front page. This can push even the top ranking organic results below "the fold" of the page, forcing users to scroll to get to them.
This impacts a lot of business who rely heavily on organic SEO rankings for clicks. Many average users know that the links on the right-hand side are ads; however, they do not necessarily know that the links at the top of the results list are also ads. This, in combination with the organics appearing lower and lower on the first page of Google, could result in a drop-off for organic clicks. The folks at Search Engine Watch have done a great job of outlining the potential pros and cons of this change. They also dive in to the speculative reasoning behind Google's decision, investigate how users interact with Google's search results, and surmise what the future of SEO might look like. Click here to read their full article.
How will your business adapt to the changes Google has made? We can assist you in creating an SEO strategy that accounts for Google's new front page whether you are interested in protecting your organic results or creating a PPC campaign to take advantage of the top spots reserved for ads. To schedule a consultation, contact us.
