SEO
Google has rolled out a drastic change by removing ads from the right side of its desktop
Search results and placing them only at the top and/or bottom of the pages. However,
they have confirmed that they will continue to show Google shopping results & ads within
Knowledge Panels when appropriate. They even added a 4th paid position on the top of
search results for selected keywords as seen below.
As you can probably guess, these changes have been made to increase the AdWords
profits. Although the above changes will affect approximately 7.3% of searches, as it is
only for highly competitive keywords as of now. But people are still worried because no
one wants to see a majority of paid results when they are searching for anything.
Instead of worrying, take a deep breath and search for your keywords because a search
results page for every keyword is different and so is the entire layout. These changes will
surely affect AdWords advertisers & SEOs, but to which extent, only time will tell.
Effect on PPC
Some users are overwhelmed with joy, since the removal of sidebar paid position will
make their CPC data & reporting more accurate. On the other hand, some users are
worried because less number of paid listing will eventually boost the prices.
Experts are predicting that the rise in the cost of PPC ads will make the job of SEO more
important, as many people won't be able to afford PPC like before. But it will also boost
the ROI since you will get higher traffic from those ads.
This article from WordStream sheds light on the effects on AdWords till date and also shows
a 15% boost in traffic from the third paid position.
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