Can running an adwords campaign improve serps ranking?

[JS_Harris]

I doubt there is a direct correlation between having an adwords campaign push up serp positioning, but does spending say $100.00 on a campaign perhaps remove a small penalty?

Is it possible that all sites who have not spent a pre-determined amount of money on adwords, say $100.00 or $500.00 for example, may have a small filter attached to their sites?

I'm looking at two very similar sites this everning with noticeably different rankings and I'm looking into possible causes. The higher ranked site ran an ad campaign over two years ago. Backlinks are near equal, within 10 links of each other, and both sites use the same template.

Thoughts ?

[JS_Harris]

Another thought, perhaps Adwords data is another tool in which Google gathers information about websites? If you pay to advertise a site for such and such keywords it must be about such and such... so rank it more highly as such and such?

Has anyone else noticed sites with adwords campaigns having better serps positioning? Curious.

edit: I found an official adwords employee response in this thread from 2006, does it still apply? [webmasterworld.com...]

[edited by: JS_Harris at 9:58 am (utc) on Mar. 17, 2009]

[netmeg]

As far as I know, and as far as I have seen over 300+ sites and five or six years, there is 100% absolutely no connection between organic SERPS and paid results. None. Zip. I know lots of people who think there is, but not one has ever been able to deliver anything close to proof.

I can't get any more definite than that.

[AdWordsAdvisor]

I found an official adwords employee response in this thread from 2006, does it still apply?

Yep, JS_Harris, it sure does - though I think that netmeg probably said it more effectively than I did. ;)

AWA

[RhinoFish]

netmeg, i'm going to differ with you slightly, but i absolutely agree with what i think you're saying.

first, algorithmically, like netmeg, I don't believe there's any link at all between these two activities. google's index may be used by both parties within G for example, but i don't believe the conclusions reached by either have any interdependencies.

however, there is one thing that is connected. if you have a good site and it's new, seo can take a while. using ppc, you can get traffic to your site now. that traffic, if you really do have a good site, means backlinks and viral spread will begin to occur naturally, from those ppc visitors. so you can get a good site seen fast with ppc, which in turn will allow it's seo to grow organically in a shorter period of time.

[netmeg]

Ok, I can go along with that.

[AdWordsAdvisor]

[...] however, there is one thing that is connected. if you have a good site and it's new, seo can take a while. using ppc, you can get traffic to your site now. that traffic, if you really do have a good site, means backlinks and viral spread will begin to occur naturally, from those ppc visitors. so you can get a good site seen fast with ppc, which in turn will allow it's seo to grow organically in a shorter period of time.

Nicely said, RhinoFish.

AWA

[brizad]

Of course they'll use google analytics data and google toolbar data against you in ppc and search. High bounce rates and low time on the site will equal higher ppc costs and lower QS, and probably lower organic rankings too.