If you’re a small business owner trying to rank higher on Google and you’ve run a few Google Ads campaigns, you might be wondering:
Do Google Ads help my SEO rankings?
Short answer? No — not directly.
But… there’s a more nuanced truth that’s well worth understanding.
Let me explain exactly how Google Ads can indirectly improve your organic search results — and how to make them work together for long-term visibility.
What Google Ads Don’t Do
Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords) and organic SEO are completely separate in Google’s algorithm.
Running ads does not:
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Improve your organic ranking position
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Help Google “favour” your site in unpaid search
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Directly increase domain authority or link equity
Google has said this repeatedly: paid results have no impact on your organic rankings.
So why do so many businesses still swear that “things just seem to do better” when they’re running ads?
Because in many cases… they do — just not for the reasons people assume.
What Google Ads Can Do for SEO (Indirectly)
Here’s what actually happens when you run a well-targeted Google Ads campaign alongside your SEO:
1. You Drive High-Intent Traffic to Your Website
Google Ads can bring in people who are ready to take action — phone, book, buy, or learn more. If that traffic is relevant, you’ll often see:
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Lower bounce rates
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Higher time on page
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Better conversion rates
These are all positive behavioural signals that Google may use to gauge the quality and relevance of your site.
2. You Accelerate Testing of Your SEO Pages
Want to know if a new page is optimised well?
Run a small Google Ads campaign to test:
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The effectiveness of your headline
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What call-to-action works best
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Which keywords actually convert
This feedback can help you fine-tune your meta titles, descriptions, and page content faster than waiting for organic results alone.
3. You Improve Brand Visibility and Recognition
When people see your business in both ads and organic listings, trust goes up.
It’s a concept called SERP dominance — and it works. You appear more legitimate and more visible when your brand shows up in multiple places.
Plus, repeated exposure to your brand name may lead to higher click-through rates on your organic listings in the long run.
4. You Feed the Google Algorithm with Real Engagement Data
Engagement metrics matter. If users visit your site and interact positively — by navigating to other pages, staying longer, or submitting a form — it tells Google:
“This page is useful for this keyword.”
That can support your organic rankings over time, even if the traffic originated from paid ads.
When to Combine Google Ads and SEO
Here’s where the magic happens — when you run both together with intention.
Google Ads are ideal when you:
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Launch a new service or page
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Want to test new content
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Need quick visibility while your SEO efforts ramp up
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Target high-converting commercial keywords
SEO is your long-term foundation, but ads can give you the fast data and visibility boost needed to steer the ship in the right direction.
Practical Example
Say you’re a local electrician in the Sunshine Coast. You’ve just created a new landing page targeting “emergency electrical repairs”.
Instead of waiting 3 months to see if it ranks organically, you run a small Google Ads campaign.
After 2 weeks you discover:
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Your click-through rate is low — maybe the headline needs work
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Visitors are bouncing quickly — maybe the content isn’t matching the intent
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The mobile layout isn’t converting — it’s slow or clunky
You take that insight, tweak your SEO page, and give it a stronger chance of ranking naturally — and converting better when it does.
That’s how ads can inform and accelerate your SEO — without being a crutch.
Final Thoughts
To set the record straight:
No, Google Ads won’t magically make you rank higher on Google.
But they can absolutely help you get there faster — by improving your content, surfacing performance issues, and driving engagement that supports long-term growth.
If you’ve been treating SEO and ads as two separate things — start thinking about how they can work together instead.
Need help building a strategy that balances both? I’ve got your back.
Cheers,
Ashley
