There is a huge distinction from the left side Google paid ads and the right side ads. Usually Google will place 3 PPC ads on the left side and the rest will got on the right side. Nevertheless, many marketers still call it Top 5 when they refer to the first 5 paid placements. In reality the Top 3 are very much different from the next Top 2 on the right side.

How?

They attract a different consumer. You’ll be amazed at how many people still can’t see (don’t know) a difference between a paid ad and a natural listing, thus many who click on your PPC ad when it’s in the left side have different knowledge about the web than the ones who clicked on your ad when it was on the right side.

I found that if you’re in the industry that sells something to people who will most likely do some research first, being on the right side can give you the same benefit (traffic) than if you would pay more and rank in the top 3 (usually on the left side). Just look at the ad CTR (click through rate).

Besides testing and analyzing your landing pages, keywords, ads, etc … try testing your left side VS. right side ad positioning. See how the “path analysis” will change. I’d keep a close eye on your bounce rate as well as the length of visit. Other things like conversion rate and cost per customer is common sense.