As of January 19, 2016, Google changed the format of the search engine adwords. You might notice that ads are not shown anymore at the sidebar (except for PLAs or the E-commerce Product Listing Ads) and the top bar ads are only limited to four while the rest are seen at the bottom. Whereas the old format or lay out allows for organic listing to be seen without having to scroll down, the new layout has the potential to affect not just PPC campaigns and SEO campaigns but most importantly, your Orange County clients.

Because of this new lay-out, the visibility and the number of clickthroughs (CTRs) of websites to the ranking pages of the SERPs might change and the only ones that will remain are those with the best SEO and those that have quality and well-managed PPC campaigns. Who will benefit and who will come out as losers to this change?

Websites which will benefit from the Change in Google Adwords Lay-out:

1.       E-commerce websites that are running PLAs as shopping ads will be seen consistently on the sidebar.
2.       Ad that will be placed on spot 4. It has been seen, so far, that the ad on position number 4 has 400-1000% increase in its CTR (click through rate).
3.       Those who are heavy ad testers as ads are now consistent so there’s no need to check anymore if your sitelinks are working or if it’s not, etc.

Websites which will potentially Lose with the Change in Google Adwords Lay-out:

1.       Those who are running and managing 10-20+ ads in the same industry and similar geo target location will find it hard for their ads to be seen because of the fewer ad slots.
2.       Low sophistication advertisers will find more competition with those who are running ads for a business purpose.
3.       Those with low budget PPC. Unfortunately, there are chances that your ads will fall on page 2.

Websites Which Will not be Affected at All:

1.       Ad campaigns ran by marketers based on brands
2.       Niche companies (meaning those who target specific industries on a particular location)
3.       Video and display campaigns won’t get affected either
4.       Those who are running mobile ads as this change of layout only affects desktop users which accounts for less than 7.3 percent of all search queries.

What’s In It for Orange County Entrepreneurs?

Since the only constant with Google is change, it shouldn’t cause you any panic. Instead, constantly monitor your PPC and SEO campaigns to maintain your visibility on the ranking pages of the SERPs. PPC advertisers will win more than ever before, especially those who offer quality strategies in their PPC but we have to remember that if SEO is done correctly, your organic rankings will be maintained too.

Call us at (949)-800-6990 for your SEO, PPC and other internet marketing needs. Drive Traffic Media offers effective strategies for your Orange County website to get to Google’s top SERPs.

Sources:

Who Will Win & Lose With The Google AdWords Layout Change, Search Engine RoundTable

Google’s New SERP Layout: The Biggest Winners & Losers, Search Engine Land