Does Google Ads impact your SEO?

It's not. Not even if you've tested it and think it's true.

Because we too have done that. And there is absolutely no correlation. Investing in SEA does not correlate with your SEO results. Let alone one leading to the other.

Should anyone ever say this to you, put both hands next to your head, fold in all but your index fingers and put your index fingers in your ears ;-).

Careful impact that I personally do not believe in

If you google impact, effect or correlation SEA and SEO or Google Ads and search engine optimization, some people really go far.

For example, that Google Ads could have a positive impact, because the additional visitors you then attract could backlink to your website, for example. Possibly. Maybe. Then again, that has a direct impact on your SEO.

That is so far fetched...

This (minimal) impact Google Ads does have on SEO

The only (minimal) impact that Google Ads has on your SEO is in the following situation: if someone searches for your product or service and sees you in the paid search results and then also in the top 3 organic ones, then they have already seen you twice.

That can mean that people are going to / have remembered you better, and that can mean that they see you as an authority. And that can cause your organic search result click-through rate to increase.