Pay per click marketing, Organic or both?

To climb the ranks of Google’s search results is an ever-increasing wish of businesses today. Holding over half of the market share for search engines it’s no wonder that majority of SEO focuses on Google’s ranking. For a new website, the process of appearing on the front page (lets face it, anything past page 1 is futile) is often challenging and drawn-out. For some small businesses operating in competitive markets such as building companies, lawyers, restaurants and pubs appearing in the upper ranks of Google seems an impossible challenge.

If you have seen the online marketing ads stating “we guarantee page one Google” and wondered what their secret is here’s some insight.

The two primary elements

A Google search listing is comprised of two elements- the Pay-per-click and the Organic. Whilst the two listings are segregated – it is common for users to not realise there is a difference between them. The Organic listing is shown purely because of its relevance to the search terms used; there is no financial transaction between Google and the organisation for their place in the organic results. It is based on a number of furtive elements such as page titles, relevance of URL, incoming links, relevant content, age of site and more.

High rankings in the organic listing can be a time-consuming aspiration but is certainly achievable with the right knowledge and preparation. Ensuring your site has the right foundations such a page titles, content, meta tags and meta description sets a good foundation. When looking at a results page the organic listing is directly below the search box – excluding the shaded pink sponsored links above this. 

Pay per click

The Pay-per-click advertisements contrastingly to the organic, are shown only because Google has been paid for them to appear. Pay-per-click means exactly as it sounds- the advertiser pays a nominated amount every time they receive a click on their ad. Google determines the Cost Per Click (CPC) by the demand for that search term – if keywords such as Sydney Accommodation have high traffic rates then their CPC will be higher. Once a keyword has been matched it triggers an ad to show. The order that the ads are shown is dependent on the amount willing to pay for each keyword and the click through rate- meaning how many people click on your advertisements. Ads with a higher click through rate will generally appear above ads with a low click through rate – even if both budgets are the same. The Pay-per-click advertising can be seen down the right hand side of the search page and the shaded pink box directly below the search box. Ad campaigns for pay-per-click can be set up instantly meaning within a few hours your business could be on the first page of Google. 

So, should you focus on pay per click or organic search?

So the question still remains, whether it is best to run a pay-per-click campaign, focus on organic marketing or do both? The answer to that question is entirely dependent on your business type and budget and varies within industries.  Organic listings tend to generate the highest amount of traffic yet statistics are said to show that more people buy items of clothes coming through pay-per-click links than organic. Both methods have proved successful although have their pros and cons, the best way to target your marketing campaign is build on the weaknesses of organic listing by utilising the strengths of the pay-per-click campaigns. Doing a mix of both is going to increase your brand equity in the user’s eyes and create higher brand awareness. With organic listings it is always beneficial to focus on search terms that are more specific and targeted that may not have as much competition. Pay-per click can then focus on keywords that you are unable to show for organically – ensuring you a form of presence on the terms with a poor organic performance.