Are you looking to rank your business higher on search engines but aren’t sure if you should prioritize organic or paid searches? Do you struggle to fully understand the difference between paid and organic rankings? There’s a lot to consider when it comes to which method is more effective at getting clicks and conversions. First, let’s review the basics of what paid and organic searches are.
What Is Paid Search (PPC)?
Paid search is a form of digital marketing where businesses pay search engines, like Google, to show their ads at the top of search engine result pages, commonly referred to as SERPs. The most well-known example of this would be Google Ads. Businesses can have their links appear above all other search results with a small ad demarcation next to them.
The most common form of paid search is pay-per-click (PPC), where advertisers pay a set amount of money each time their advertisement link is clicked on. It’s important to note that paid advertising methods don’t guarantee that everyone in your potential audience will always see your ads. Visibility is based on factors like keywords, budget, search terms, and more.
What Is Organic Search?
Organic search is another form of digital marketing; however, it does not require money to see results like paid search does. Organic search relies on methods such as search engine optimization (SEO) to signal to the search engine that your website is relevant and reliable. This allows your website link to appear higher up on the search results than your competitors and, therefore, gain more attention and clicks.
While technically, you can rank organically with no help from digital marketers, the more you optimize your website with relevant keywords and proper hierarchy structure, the more likely you are to rank highly organically.
Is Paid Search Or Organic Search More Effective?
When assessing which method is more effective, we have to look at a few different aspects of
Time
Time is a big factor in whether paid or organic search will be more effective. Firstly, consider how much time you have to put into your website and SEO. More time is required to create content, optimize your website, and perform the required maintenance to rank organically and see results. If you have very limited time to work on SEO, paid search requires less time for the results you will get, but remember, this does come with a much larger price tag.
Brand Trust & Credibility
Paid searches will appear at the top of the search results, and organic results will rank below depending on the strength of your SEO. Appearing at the top of the page in the ad results section is undoubtedly beneficial for your business. Your name will be one of the first to be seen, and your website will be easily accessible. However, being featured in the ad results will not always guarantee a click. Most consumers are aware that putting a lot of money behind an ad will get you to the top of the search. Without brand credibility, trust, and recognition, consumers may be hesitant to engage with your brand. It’s important to do things that build your brand credibility in addition to your paid ads.
Cost
If you are trying to spend as little money as possible, paid search is not going to be an effective choice. As with any advertising platform, from Google Ads to Facebook Ads, there is a threshold that you should reach with your advertising spend if you want to see consistent results. Putting as small an amount as possible into your ads will not return the results you’re looking for.
If you plan on doing the work to rank organically yourself, then this method can be completely free. However, unless you are prepared to put in the time and effort to learn about SEO and website optimization, hiring a professional will likely be your best choice. Obviously, this is a monthly or quarterly expense depending on your needs, but marketing experts often offer a variety of services to make their services worth the cost.
Is Paid or Organic Search Better For My Business?
The good news, and the bad news, is that neither method is explicitly more beneficial than the other. While this means you can’t exclusively pursue the more successful avenue, it does mean that you can assess your resources and find a combination of both methods that is tailored to your needs. If you’re a new small business and have plenty of extra time but not a lot of extra funds, focusing on search engine optimization to improve your organic results will be more realistic for your business. If you have extra funds and are hoping to see results faster, focusing your efforts on paid search will align better with your goals.
Where Can I Find SEO Marketing Professionals?
If you’re looking to take the next step for your business, then you’re in the right place! At Blackbear Marketing, we can help optimize your website so that you are able to rank higher organically and draw in new business. Are you interested in running ads but don’t know where to start? We’ve got you covered there, too! If you’re ready to get started, contact us so we can take the next step for your business!
