Digital marketing has a great deal of terms out there that may confuse some people. For business owners, trying to learn and navigate the digital marketing lexicon can seem daunting, at first. One of the most important things to understand is search engine terminology. Most importantly, the difference between paid and organic searches.
Various digital marketers have varying opinions on which type is better. However, it is understood that organic is the most valuable source of traffic. On the other hand, paid ads get you to the top of your search engine. Understanding how to efficiently apply them to your digital marketing strategy will make your business visible on the web in the most efficient way.
Organic Search
Organic searches are the natural results found underneath the ads. They’re what most people are typing into the search engines when trying to find whatever service they are looking for. It is considered the most valuable form of traffic for several reasons. One of these reasons being that 33% of clicks from organic search results go to the very first listing on Google. Moving up in the rankings is difficult and takes time. Once you’re there you get to reap the benefits for a long time. The downside to organic searches is that it takes a long time to rank up and generating traffic from this source. So, you should be prepared for the long haul with organic searches. But the benefits make up for the long wait.
Paid Search
The key is to have a well-oiled and effective SEO techniques. Paid search results are basically ads paid for businesses in order to rise above the organic results in the fastest way possible. Instead of having to wait patiently for your SEO to build up, you can pay to get seen on page one of Google. Some marketers do invest in Google Ads to craft ads and bid on placement opportunities in the auction. Generally, you can tell what a paid search looks like rather easily. It is found to be on the first page, right at the top with a green ad sign on the left-hand side. For these reasons, paid has been more popular in recent years as organic search has become more competitive. The most important key is to understand paid searches entirely and have a good handle on PPC (pay-per-click).
While there are pros and cons to investing in paid and organic search strategies, the best strategy of them all is to focus on organic, and then use those insights to improve your paid strategy. Just take some time with your team or your digital marketer. Also, figure out which strategy works best for your business at the moment. Never be afraid to experiment or change as needed.
