Why do people think AdSense is a crucial Google Search ranking factor? AdSense has nothing to do with organic rank, do they?
AdSense is a Google product for advertising that lets publishers monetize their content by displaying specific advertisements on their sites. Publishers earn revenue when users browse or click on these advertisements.
Why do people think AdSense is the basis for ranking? AdSense has nothing to do with organic rank, don’t you think?
The belief is that driving traffic to sites that display ads from Google also helps Google’s interests as a corporation.
If a website is monetized using AdSense, the site becomes a new website for Google’s advertisers to display ads on.
In terms of ethics, there’s an incentive to Google to direct traffic to sites that show AdSense advertisements.
A higher amount of traffic results in more views and clicks, which is why Google’s advertisers are delighted to pay more for ads.
But should Google allow its business interests to hinder giving unbiased organic results?
This is the view shared by those who doubt whether AdSense is an indicator of rank.
There are also concerns that AdSense ads may impact rankings negatively because Google has guidelines specific to the proper placement of ads.
Let’s explore these claims and then take a look at what evidence suggests about the effect of AdSense on the search results.
The Claim: AdSense is a Ranking Factor
There are a variety of claims related to AdSense as an essential ranking factor.
AdSense is a Positive Signal
One theory suggests that placing AdSense advertisements on a webpage will impact page rankings since those ads bring in revenue to Google and its partners.
With Google having several of its services interconnected, including Google’s organic search feature, Google Ads, and AdSense, there will be the possibility of sharing signals among them.
Similar to the theories that circulate around Google Ads being a ranking factor, which we disprove in a different chapter, the same type of thinking is employed to AdSense.
Incredibility issues with Google?
The common thread that connects all theories seems to be an underlying distrust of Google.
Many people believe in these claims because there’s not enough trust in Google to ensure that its results are honest and objective.
Legal proceedings and investigations into allegations of unfair business practices have damaged Google’s credibility as a reliable business.
Officials from the government have claimed that government officials have accused Google of favoring its own Android applications and apps in its search results.
Antitrust cases have been brought on Google in Europe as well as the United States in the past. Google is regularly scrutinized by The U.S. Department of Justice in connection with anti-competitive conduct.
Even though it was ordered to pay fines, Google insists it did nothing to stop competition.
Ongoing investigations into Google’s practices significantly impact its image as a business that people can believe in.
This is why AdSense continues to be a subject in discussions on ranking factors.
AdSense is a Negative Signal
Another theory suggests that site owners must be cautious when participating in AdSense.
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Using too many ads or placing them in the wrong locations can adversely affect rankings.
The theory is based on the fact that Google is slowly emphasizing websites that provide a positive user experience.
A page crowded with ads results in a negative user experience in various ways Google finds crucial.
The abundance of advertisements could make the main content hard to find, which can cause the site to load slowly and cause the page to shift around while processing.
Each of these can lower the score of a website’s page experience. This is the reason AdSense might be seen as one of the ranking factors that could be negative.
According to reports, AdSense either boosts rankings or reduces the rankings. Which is it?
Here’s the proof.
The Evidence: AdSense As A Ranking Factor
This section is split into two sections for each of the claims.
AdSense is a Positive Signal
Whether AdSense influences a website’s search ranking is so frequently asked that Google answers it in its AdSense Help guide. AdSense help guide.
Google affirms AdSense is not a factor in determining the position of a website in SERPs:
“Participating in Google AdSense does not affect the rank of your website in Google results for search and won’t affect the results of our search engine.
Google believes in the freedom of expression and gives users access to various websites with content.
Our results for a search are unbiased because of our relationships with paid publishers and advertisers. The search results will always present results for searches based on the principles of our PageRank technologies.”
Website owners should not use AdSense to believe it’ll improve ranking in search engines because this isn’t the case.
It’s essential to keep this in mind while conducting a competitive SERP analysis. If your competition uses AdSense, but your site does not, you won’t need to be concerned about it as a factor to help you rank better.
Does it mean that it will result in a lower ranking? Here’s evidence to support the other assertion.
AdSense is a Negative Ranking Factor
In the previous section, AdSense doesn’t impact positive or negative rankings.
Advertising, in general, may be detrimental to user experience in the eyes of Google and result in a lower ranking.
There’s nothing necessarily wrong with placing ads on websites. But the way they’re employed can create problems for SEO.
Regarding the placement of ads, Google asks site owners to adhere to guidelines in the Better Ads Standards, which define unacceptable placements for ads on desktops and mobiles.
Additionally, AdSense’s AdSense Help Center has a section outlining the best practices for advertising placement that owners of websites are required to adhere to.
In addition, Google’s page experience update is based on how a website can use ads.
In a letter to owners of websites about the update to the experience of their pages, Google says:
“A site must not use advertising techniques that are distracting, interrupting, or otherwise not conducive to a good user experience.”
There are many ways that websites can utilize ads that can harm rankings. However, this isn’t only a problem for AdSense.
In this regard, Google has said that AdSense isn’t exempt from negative signals that advertisements could create.
The invasive AdSense advertisements are handled similarly to other types of intrusive advertisements.
Google AdSense as a Ranking Factor: Our Verdict
Google affirms AdSense is not an essential factor in ranking.
How AdSense advertisements are displayed on a site can result in lower rankings. However, that applies to all advertisements. Therefore, it’s incorrect to claim that AdSense is a negative ranking factor.
