We live in an era of limitless resources when it comes to information. When we find ourselves stumped on something, what do we do? We Google it – or Bing it, or Yahoo it, or whatever your preferred search engine is. It seems that the answer to any of our questions is just a click away, with search engines serving millions of results within seconds.
However, out of all these millions of results, users typically use the top five. More than 65% of all clicks on the SERPs (Search Engine Page Results) go to the first five listings. It is so important for businesses to appear at the top of SERPs in order to catch the eye of potential consumers. So, how can a business ensure they rank favorably on the SERPs? There are two ways to do so: paid and organic search.
Paid Search
Paid search, also known as pay per click (PPC), is a marketing initiative in which businesses can pay money to bid on high-ranking placements on the SERPs based on keywords utilized by searchers. Any paid search results have a little green box with the word “ad” before the listing, making it easy for users to differentiate the paid search results from the organic results. PPC ads are served based not only on the bids for the placement, but on the quality and the relevance of their keywords, ensuring that results are relevant to the people searching.
In order to get the best ROI (return on investment) for your PPC campaigns, it is important to create extremely clickable and high-quality ads. High-quality ads are determined by a quality score. This score considers your click-through rate, ad relevance, and landing page quality. A well-designed campaign will reach searchers that are interested in your business’s specific products or services, rather than casual browsers.
Organic Search
While paid search initiatives can have great ROI, there can be high fees associated with them. In contrast, organic search results are free – so why doesn’t everyone just rely on this method of reaching the top of the SERPs? Well, because it is extremely difficult to become a high-ranking website without a diligent plan and ongoing efforts. Search engines constantly change the algorithms that rank search results, making SEO (search engine optimization) an ever-changing and constant process.
Here are some of the best SEO practices to help increase your organic ranking:
Supply website visitors with great content. High-quality and relevant content is a great asset to your website. Keyword rich and easy-to-read content will consistently rank higher than irrelevant and difficult language.
Optimize your page titles. Title tags define a web page – ensure that yours are a concise description of the page’s content. Page titles are also the first link of hyperlinked test displayed by search engines. They can drive traffic to your website if users find them to be relevant to their query.
Increase your social presence. It turns out that social signals are really starting to impact rankings. Many experts believe that these impacts will continue to increase over time. Consider setting your business up on various social media platforms to help expand your reach.
Which is Better?
As important as it is to understand both paid and organic search, it is just as important to understand that both are essential. There is a place for both in your marketing strategy and each can have an impact on your place on SERPs. Media Venue has an experienced team that has worked with PPC campaigns to ensure our clients are reaching relevant prospects. In addition, we have experience with SEO consultation and can help your business optimize and increase your ranking on search engines organically. If you are interested in one (or both) types of search, contact Media Venue today!
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About Our Blogger
As Media Venue’s social media manager, Michelle Dunaway has her finger on the pulse of the constantly-evolving social landscape. Her extensive background in both creative and technical writing coupled with her experience in the marketing world fuel a dedicated interest in keeping up with industry trends. Researching and writing about best practices in digital marketing allows her to utilize these practices to serve her clients.
