Can Google’s ‘Boost’ Boost your Search Engine Rankings?

Sara Beaudoin is the Marketing Communications Manager for SearchPro Systems.

As always, Google is constantly searching for new ways to improve, and the latest improvement is Boost.  Boost is a pay-per-click advertising solution that many local businesses may want to pay attention to.  Boost would show users a box at the top of each search engine results page, and that box would feature a local result, relevant to the search.  The goal of SEO is to end up at the top of page one on Google, so Boost just may provide local businesses with a shortcut!

Each time the Boost ad is clicked, your business will be charged a certain amount.  When creating your Boost ad, Google does allow you to put a cap on your pay-per-click budget.

If you’re the first business using your keywords in your area to create a Boost ad, then you will likely see an increase in the number of users visiting your website.  An increase in website clicks will improve your free, organic search engine ranking, which will further benefit your SEO efforts!  However, if your local competitors follow suit, Boost will need to determine which ad will be shown to users.  Google will base this determination on the quality and relevance of the ad.

A benefit to creating a Boost ad is that it requires no ongoing maintenance.  Once the ad is created, as long as it is created with relevant, high quality information, there is no need to spend further time on it, so you can let it go to work for you.  Obviously, this could be a costly SEO marketing strategy, so it may not be an option for your business.  It may also not be necessary for your business.  If you’ve been successful in your SEO and VSEO efforts and your websites and videos are already near the top of page one of a relevant Google search, then there is probably no need to spend more of your marketing budget on a pay-per-click ad.

A drawback to Google’s Boost is that it sounds as though Google will assign keywords for you.  If you currently practice SEO and VSEO, then you know how important unique and relevant keywords are, and it is somewhat unlikely that Google will assign your website’s unique keywords to your Boost ad.

However, Boost is only being tested in Chicago, SanFrancisco and Houston at this time, so features may change in ways to further benefit you and your local business.  If you would like to encourage Google to offer Boost in your area, follow this link.