I guess we’re all just too accustomed to unprincipled corporate greed, because this myth has remained for years.

“Does participating in Google’s AdWords help your non-Google AdWords rankings?”

The inference to that is the question:

“Does Google punish sites that don’t use Google AdWords ads (Google’s product) by lowering their rankings, thus encouraging engagement in AdWords where Google makes money?”

The answer is No. Always has been and always will. The simple reason is that doing this would reduce the relevance of Google’s main organic rankings. And once that happens, Yahoo, Bing, or another search engine will unseat them as the Big Dog of search.

More savvy searchers typically avoid the Google AdWords ads because they understand the sponsored links up top aren’t there because they’re the most relevant match for your search. Those top ranking Google AdWords links are there largely because the advertiser is willing to Give more than others for your click.

Uncover The Facts

A blog post over at WSI said it well:

“Doing Adwords does NOT directly help or effect rankings. Integrity in this area is a cornerstone of Google’s business. If this were violated it would damage Google beyond repair, not to mention a slew of legal actions. Google would never risk those consequences. Google has stated over and over that Adwords advertising will not affect rankings.  I don’t always believe Google but….

I have been managing Adwords and doing search engine optimization for my clients for many years. I have managed every combination of clients that do or don’t do AdWords combined with SEO. There have also been cases where SEO clients stop doing AdWords, or start doing AdWords. I can say that I have never seen anything that indicated that Adwords affected rankings.

There are a number of reputable SEO research firms that study this issue and every one of them has come to the same conclusion: Adwords does not affect rankings.

My experience is completely in agreement with that assessment.

There’s a great place for AdWords advertising, of course, and it’s true that if you appear in both the Google AdWords and the organic results on the first page it super-benefits you as a site searchers will want to click on first. But the AdWords itself has no impact on how highly you rank in the organic searches.