Beware, paid Google ads may not be legit companies

Wednesday, 11 April 2018

PureSEO chief executive Richard Conway says consumers should be vigilant about the websites they click on at the top of Google searches.

Anyone can pay to have their website advertised at the top of a Google search, and companies that do pay for such prominence may not be legitimate, an expert says.

Google advertising firm PureSEO boss Richard Conway said people should be wary of clicking on the four websites advertised at the top of Google's search field.

More New Zealanders are using smartphones for online searches.

Those websites were not ranked at the top because they were most popular, he said.

Rather, they were ranked based on 'whoever pays the most' 'for pixels on a screen,' he said.

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Companies buy Google Adwords to appear in the top four websites showed when someone searches that word.

Conway described Adwords as the 'wild west' of online advertising.

Such ads would continue to exist because 'that's how they [Google] make all of their money', he said.

People should vigilantly check the validity of those top four websites before buying their products or services, he said.

'[Consumers] have to be aware. It is very easy for someone to pay to be up there and present themselves in a certain manner. Be sure you're dealing with a legitimate company.'

Websites that appeared in a Google search below the first four advertisements were more likely to be legitimate because their ranking was based on relevance and popularity.

Google presented those websites to a consumer because its algorithms decided they related best to what the consumer searched for, known as search engine optimisation.

Conway recommended companies bought Google Adwords as well as invest in a search engine optimisation strategy.

PureSEO released its New Zealand Internet Search Trends and Insights report on Wednesday.

It found that New Zealanders were increasingly using smartphones and voice search tools to search for things online.

It also found more Kiwis were clicking through to company websites via social media.