by Murray Lunn

Created on: August 31, 2010

The Google Adwords tool has long since been herald as one of the best tools for search engine optimization by online marketers. Google, being the largest search engine, has a commanding share over the search engine market which is why so many businesses and online marketers have place such a high level of interest and trust toward the company.

Unfortunately, Google Adwords does have common pitfalls in terms of search engine optimization. As an advertising platform at its core, results displayed by Adwords are often masked by obscurity as Google continues to clench its iron grip around its algorithms.

The following are three reasons why the Google Adword tool is bad for search engine optimization.

Reason 1: Relative results

The Google Adwords tool is very helpful for all those that choose to use Google as their advertising platform. Unfortunately, because of this same reason, Google does not publish factual results for those searching for keywords.

Results in the Google Adword tool are displayed from previous months of search activity and factor in short-tail keywords which is opposite of the direction the web is going: long-tail keywords.

Because results are relative to the main keywords within the tool, online marketers have a difficult time gauging the popularity and relevance of the keyword for their chosen niche. When money is on the line, it's difficult to make the decision to use a generic keyword which could cost a company thousands of dollars with an incorrect advertising campaign.

Even when the results are set to exact results are never truly accurate because Google has a vested interest to keep competition high even for keywords which may not be in favor for the month.

Reason 2: Delay of publication

One of the most frustrating features of the Google Adwords tool which makes it difficult to use for search engine optimization is the lack of updates for each keyword.

Unlike recent advancements within other companies which provide real-time search results; Google Adwords tool displays the previous month for searches related to a keyword. 

The traffic statistics displayed as the results within the tool do give online marketers the correct direction for their ad campaigns but this lack up update skews results as no-one accurately knows if a keyword still has the same value as it does in the current month in comparison to the previous.

With search engine optimization, keyword research is essential and needs to be timely to take advantage of web trends. The Adwords tool lack up updates proves that Google doesn't always give the best results for those using the platform.

Reason 3: Generic keywords - lack of conversion

The largest misconception about keywords displayed in Google Adwords results are the conversion factors. All the traffic in the world means nothing unless it converts to sales, subscriptions or participation. The results displayed in the Google Adwords tool are often generic even when users drill down within sub-niche's.

Money is on the line with each Adword bid which makes it twice as important to understand which keywords are actually converting. The general results displayed with the tool can certainly help online marketers in their ad campaign's direction but it still comes down to a guessing game.

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