Pay per click advertising fails to really connect with people who use the Internet. That’s the conclusion from a new study by ClickConsult. The research reveals that if you combine search engine optimisation (SEO) with Pay Per Click, you get a 50% increase in conversions.

What this really tells us is that when people see an advert in isolation they don’t trust it. When they see an advert AND they are aware of the company or organisation via natural search, then they increase their trust level with the advertiser.

For the past few years, Internet Marketing “gurus” have been touting the benefits of Pay Per Click, such as Google AdWords. All you have to do is run some ads and reap in the rewards, they say. Tosh.

This might well have worked a few years ago, but now people are more discerning; they have clicked on too many ads that lead to rubbish pages. We are more wary now.

Hence, Pay Per Click advertising is only going to work for you if you also back it up with methods of building trust. These may well include having a high search engine ranking, but would also include being seen as experts in your field by being quoted regularly in the media, for instance. It also means having visible contact details on EVERY page of your web site – including phone numbers that will reach a human being and an email address. Several studies have shown that this feature alone can dramatically raise trust in a web site.

The ClickConsult study obviously helps them say you need to pay them for SEO and PPC advice. But don’t just rely on these two strands. Your strategy for increasing the take up of any advertising you do must include a host of other activities that build trust in your brand.