By the time you read this, Google will have completed the implementation of its new page layout, eliminating the AdWords in the right column. Instead, three or four pay-per-click ads will appear at the top of the page above the organic listings.
Naturally, this pushes further down the page even the highest-ranking dentist's website, below the Yelp reviews and assorted directory sites.
“For dentists, this will mean the organic listing is more precious than ever, placing a greater focus on effective SEO,” says Smile Marketing AdWords specialist Alicia Hardy. “And for our growing number of AdWords customers, this change is likely to drive up the average click cost, increasing the importance of having a high quality score.”
Google, which is famous for testing virtually every variable, has likely determined that the average click-through-rate is greater (and more profitable for Google) than the long-standing ads along the right side of the page.
Would your practice benefit from AdWords?