Google’s AdWords service can be excellent at boosting traffic to a website, however, marketers should not ignore other online strategies, an expert has commented.

Matthew MacDonald, author of Google: The Missing Manual, made his comments to online resource PC World, explaining that AdWords allows companies to place paid advertisements to reach likely customers.

However, he warned that marketers should use only relevant keywords when using this service as it is preferable to entice just a few people with a real interest to a website, rather than pay for many to click through even though the site is not what they want.

“And although AdWords is a great traffic booster, it shouldn’t replace other techniques for generating visits – such as link exchanges, community building and search engine optimization,” Mr MacDonald urged.

Google boasts that AdWords enables firms to “say goodbye” to contracts or deadlines as they only pay for clicks.

It reports that marketers can easily measure a campaign’s effectiveness through Google Analytics and reach people in the “most efficient way possible”.

Katherine Griwert is Brafton's Marketing Director. She's practiced content marketing, SEO and social marketing for over five years, and her enthusiasm for new media has even deeper roots. Katherine holds a degree in American Studies from Boston College, and her writing is featured in a number of web publications.