Paid search (SEA): attract targeted visitors with Google Ads

Paid search, or SEA (Search Engine Advertising), means buying visibility in search engines. When a user types a search related to your business, your ad can appear at the top of the results, labelled “Sponsored”. It is the fastest way to attract targeted visitors to your website.

Why be visible on Google?

Google handles around 90% of searches worldwide, and a comparable share in France. When a potential customer has a need, it usually starts with a Google search. Being visible at that precise moment means reaching someone who is actively looking for what you offer.

How does Google Ads work?

Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords) mainly works on a pay-per-click basis:

1. you choose keywords matching your offer (“website design Bourg-en-Bresse”);
2. you write ads and set a daily budget;
3. for each search, Google runs an auction: your ad's position depends on your bid, but also on its quality and relevance to the search and to your page;
4. you only pay when a user clicks on your ad.

The advantages of paid search

• Immediacy: your website is visible as soon as the campaign goes live.
• Precise targeting: geographic area (a town, a radius around your business), times of day, devices, language.
• Budget control: you set a ceiling and can adjust or pause at any time.
• Measurement: number of clicks, cost per click, quote requests or sales generated.
• Testing: ideal for launching a new offer or a seasonal promotion.

Its limits

• Visibility stops as soon as the budget runs out or the campaign is paused.
• In very competitive sectors, the cost per click can be high.
• A poorly configured campaign (keywords too broad, wrong area) can spend a lot for few results.

SEA or SEO: which to choose?

The right answer is often: both. Paid search delivers immediate results while organic SEO is being built, and can then be refocused on the most profitable searches or key periods.

Best practices

• Target precise keywords and add negative keywords (“free”, “jobs”… depending on your business).
• Point each ad to the most relevant page, not always to the home page.
• Measure conversions (calls, forms, purchases), not just clicks.
• Analyse and adjust campaigns every month.

How we can help

Before recommending a campaign, we analyse your website, your market and your goals to advise you on the most profitable solution: paid search, organic SEO, or a combination of both.

Frequently asked questions

Franck GuigoutFounder of GUIGOUT SAS, a web agency in Bourg-en-Bresse, France. Over twenty years of building WordPress and WooCommerce websites and of search engine optimisation for businesses in France and abroad.