Google recently deleted the right column search results, removing 2/3rd of the desktop advertising real estate, bringing it pretty much in line with Mobile and Tablet. Those ads in the right column will of course now largely be removed from search results. Fair enough…. but don’t panic.
Many Adwords Advertisers will now be wondering how to cope with the loss of the right column advertising space. This is undoubtedly a major change and many professionals in the PPC industry have strong opposing views regarding how this will effect local, national and small business, why it happened and if it was responsible or not. The truth, as usual, rests in between extremes. But action is required.
We were initially shocked. Some clients were quickly on the phone, some angry feeling this was done to drive up click costs by compressing bidders into fewer spots.
Google’s view however is very few people clicked on the right column anyway. And, well they are right and this is supported in the metrics of almost every Adwords account there is plus usage heat maps.
So, I’ll cut to the chase. If your ad was in the right column, it wasn’t getting clicked. Your options are to now get into positions 1-4. If you do you will get 15-20 times as much traffic from that ad as before anyway. Which will cost more because you’ll need to pay a little more per click, and there will be more clicks.
How do you prevent it from costing (too much) more?
Achieve a Higher Ad Rank through a better Quality Score
A Higher Quality Score comes about through
- Higher Click Through Rate
- Better Landing Page Quality
- A more focussed Adwords account structure targeting phrases to ads
- being mindful of your potential clients
- Better Ad Relevance
And when you have this extra traffic, ensure you are sending it to not just better landing pages, but pages that CONVERT.
To find out more about how to not only survive these changes but flourish as a result call 01444 316320 today.
