Is It Still Worth Using Google Ads in 2023? The Verdict

It might be hard to believe, but Google Ads have been around for 23 years.

Yes, we’re all getting old.

In that time, this digital ad platform has become a valuable – some would say indispensable – tool for marketing professionals. With paid advertising on Google, you can forego the time and effort required with search engine optimization (SEO), getting your brand found instantly through relevant search terms across Google-affiliated platforms like YouTube, external websites, and so on.

There’s just one question: Are Google Ads worth it in 2023?

Since Google paid ads first showed their face, the marketing landscape has evolved considerably. There are more ad options. There are more marketing strategies. Is there still room for Google paid advertising in this day and age?

Let’s look at the key points for the answer!

Google remains the preferred search engine of choice

When trying to answer the ‘Are Google Ads worth it?’ question, the first aspect to consider is the platform’s popularity. As you likely know already, Google has maintained its dominance in the search engine space – yet it can be easy to underestimate the supremacy it enjoys.

According to March 2023 statistics, Google enjoys a massive 85.53% market share worldwide for desktop search engines. That percentage goes up to 95.91% for mobile.

Pretty much everyone uses Google. This also doesn’t account for the entire Google ecosystem – including YouTube – which further expands its reach. The result: there remains a massive audience to discover your Google paid ad campaigns.

Read more: Which Social Media Platforms Drive the Most Conversions?

Google paid advertising reaches the right people

Why Google Ads? One of the biggest reasons is the ability of your brand to be found by the right people.

Say you have a blog post about the best Cate Blanchett movies. That’s a specific topic, right? Well, Google allows you to target the exact audience searching for that type of blog post. People will Google “Cate Blanchett movies”, and you can build your ad campaign around that keywordKeywords are the words and phrases that potential customers might search for to find your business..

With Google Ads, you’re not targeting the general population. You are targeting those that are actively searching for what you have to offer.

Google paid ads fit into any budget

How much is Google advertising? This is one of the questions we receive the most from clients. When you see the audience size and targeting options, it can be easy to feel that Google Ads are out of reach if you operate with a limited marketing budget.

That’s not the case.

In fact, you can make Google Ads work with virtually any budget – even if you only have $50 to spare each month. As you set a budget that Google will then use for displaying your ads, you also don’t have to worry about spending too much.

However, you can waste money if you don’t pay for Google Ads wisely. This is why we recommend you read our guide on How to Improve Your AdWords Campaign.

No clicks, no Google Ads payment

Is Google Ads worth it? Well, in certain cases, there’s a chance you won’t spend any money when using the platform!

Of course, you don’t want that to happen. That means people are not clicking on your ads. Google also doesn’t want that scenario. Their ad network is one of the main ways how Google makes money.

However, it does mean you won’t hemorrhage money for no reason. There are no additional fees or charges to worry about. You only pay for Google ads when clicks are generated.

Added precision with your ads

Google AdWords, PPC, Yahoo, Bing – there are many ad platforms available. All of these can be valuable, but it is dependent on a key element: targeting. If you’re not reaching the right audience, you will not bring in worthwhile conversions.

Fortunately, Google paid ads offer that precision. We’ve already seen that with the ability to target keywords. Yet it goes beyond that with the ability to select audience segments. That includes demographics, purchase intent, habits and hobbies. This extra accuracy ensures you can get it spot on with your Google paid advertising campaigns.

Quick results

If you’ve ever done an SEO campaign, you know it takes a long time to achieve results. There are also many different moving parts – including those pesky Google ranking updates – you have to factor into the equation for success.

That’s not the situation with Google Ads. Okay, you have to put in work for effective adverts – our 10 Tips for Top Converting Google Ads guide can help in that regard. Yet compared to SEO, where significant organic trafficOrganic search traffic (sometimes called natural or unpaid search) is the traffic that's driven to a website because of unpaid placement on a search engine results page. can take several months to appear, you can start seeing an instant traffic boost in a matter of days.

It’s not easy

Look at Google Ads news, reviews, and guides like these, and most comments will be overwhelmingly positive. They will highlight the positives and the key reasons why you should choose Google paid ads.

What they often don’t mention is the work required.

Do Google Ads really work? Yes and no. The right strategy makes Google Ads worth it—100%. However, a lackadaisical campaign will only end up being a waste of your marketing budget. The same is applicable to social media advertising. Without a sound plan, you will simply flush your money away.

If you’re inexperienced with this side of marketing, this is where receiving outside help can be invaluable. Paid social agency services are great for the aforementioned social media ads. Similarly, your Google Ad campaigns can be structured and fine-tuned by a specialist marketing agency.

Are Google Ads worth it: the verdict

Is Google AdWords worth it? Are YouTube Ads worth it? Are Google Ads worth it for small business marketing campaigns? There are many questions that revolve around the value of Google Ads. We’re here to tell you, yes, it is absolutely worth using Google Ads.

With the right campaign, you can bring in a lot of traffic and conversions for your brand. The only issue is putting together the ‘right’ campaign. This is where working with an expert PPC agency can ensure your investment in Google Ads produces the best results.