Do People Trust Google Ads?

Some people do not trust Google Ads and will often ignore ads when they appear in the search results. And they do not trust many advertisers that appear on Google too.

So they will not click ads that appear at the top and will instead click on Organic listings only. And that’s true for some industries especially in the B2B service space.

In fact, about one in six people only click on ads on Google. The rest click on natural listings.

However, that’s different for B2C sectors and ecommerce websites that use Shopping ads which show product listings with images, prices and title. These are more trusted and when people click through they are often more likely to purchase.

Also, millions of businesses today advertise on Google and it is one of the most effective ways to advertise because it targets people who are actively searching. And many searchers click ads and are able to purchase products and services that relate to what they are searching for.

However, there are people who don’t trust Google Ads for different reasons.

Reasons why people do not trust Google Ads:

1. People are suspicious of adverts

People are often distrustful of businesses that pay for placements. They prefer to work with businesses that appear naturally in the search engines or that they have been referred to.

That’s understandable and not just restricted to pay per click (PPC) advertising though, as people don’t always trust adverts, whether online or offline.

2. Some believe there are many scams

There are many financial and health scams that have managed to place their ads on Google. However, Google Ads has been proactively removing these and suspending their accounts.

But it’s a lot easier to promote a scam on the ads than to get it to rank in the SEO Organic  listings. It takes months to rank organically and not many have that patience to wait and so they will use ads to try to dupe people quickly. And the Google algorithm is able to pick these up quickly.

However, frauds and scams are now a very small issue in Google Ads and the system and reviewers are able to block and remove fraudulent accounts in seconds.

3. Advertisers can easily disappear

As quickly as an advertiser appears, they can disappear quickly too. Ads can be easily turned on and off and a business appearing today can be gone from the ad results tomorrow.

This is a problem for some people that are researching products or services and not seeing the advertisers that they saw before, and that trust can be lost.

For advertisers it’s important to be consistent with advertising efforts because many customers click multiple times as they shop over many days.

However, this is one of the benefits of Google advertising, that advertisers have great control over when they appear and how much they spend. And they can easily turn off their ads when budget is exhausted.

4. Some ads don’t look relevant

Because setting up ads can be done by anyone, it’s not uncommon to see advertisers appear for keywords that are not closely related to what people are looking for.

For example, someone looking for a local accountant may see accounting software packages in the ad results. They may have some interest in accounting software and maybe that can be an option, but what they want is a local accountant at that point.

Such things cause some people to see ads as not always being relevant and therefore they will at times only click on organic listings.

So, it’s important as an advertiser to ensure that your ads are closely related to people’s searches on Google. This will help boost your click through rates and quality scores.

5. Believe that only Organic listings are genuine

Some people believe that organic or natural listings are genuine only. They are not aware that they can be manipulated and it has taken Google months and even years to remove some of them.

But Google Ads are genuine and many global brands and organisations use them to reach their customers and clients. According to Google, there are over 4 million businesses that advertise in Google Ads so it’s a very viable way to reach customers online.

Conclusion

So, these are some of the reasons why people do not trust Google Ads and will often ignore them. However, the reality is that Google Ads is one of the most effective ways for businesses to advertise online and many customers see the benefits of buying products and services when they see these ads.

Get in Touch

Want to know how Google Ads can help your business promote its products or services? I’d be happy to help. I’m a certified Google Ads expert and freelance PPC specialist with many years marketing experience. Please contact me below to discuss further.