Can PPC Increase Your Search Engine Rankings?

Writing by Nick Stamoulis Tweet

I’ve spoken to several webmasters who believe that more traffic to your website increases your search engine rankings.

Google keeps saying that PPC advertising doesn’t influence search rankings. Technically, they’re being truthful when they say this. What they mean is, if you advertise through Google AdWords you will not see your web pages rise in the organic search index due to your AdWords campaign’s direct influence. But if you run a successful AdWords campaign and drive enough targeted traffic to your web pages you could very well see your site rise in the search rankings. This is how PPC can indirectly influence your search rankings.

But the real key to increased search rankings is more complicated than that. Google looks at a number of factors for long term search engine optimization. Traffic is just one of them. Your best bet is to see a well-rounded marketing plan that involves PPC, social media marketing, viral marketing, link building, article marketing, off line marketing, and other methods of marketing so that if one well dries up you still have other wells producing fresh water. Search engine rankings are the result of hard work no matter how you look at it.