Google has updated a 2011 study with new data about the value of continuing to pay for search results. A dose of skepticism might be helpful, Google does, after all, have an interest in keeping the social media agency paying for search advertising. Despite the skepticism the results of the data pass the gut check. The conclusion is that paid search advertising results in an 89% bump in site visitors.
Some brands might suspect cancelling paid search payments would raise traffic besides save the money. While it is correct that organic searches rise as a result of cancellation, the rise in organic searches is covered by the overall decrease in traffic directed to a site. The overall loss of traffic amounts to an 85% decrease even with the boost in organic search results. If a brand only decreases the spending on search ads then the loss is only an 80% drop.
Google not only has a large number of brands that have ceased paying for search ads but a number of those firms have even resumed payments. Resumption of payments, however, does not necessarily restore the traffic. From a zero base, an increase of payments only improves traffic 79%. This means there is a permanent loss of 6% of the original amount of traffic a brand was seeing. From a non-zero base, that is as specific Google is in their results, restores 78% of the original traffic.
Some brands that were unsure of the value of paid search results cancelled the payments and saw a significant drop in traffic. Some of those firms then reinstated the payments, but their traffic did not fully recover. It’s an important to lesson be aware of as the social media agency tries to maximize budgets.
