Organic vs Paid Search Engine Rankings

Which is better?

It is estimated* that more than 3 out of 4 search engines users choose organic results over paid advertisements. The statistic may be higher, though, simply because data does not include information about whether or not users clicked organic results before clicking on the paid advertisements. Either way, organic search engine results are surely the best way to increase website traffic. Websites found on the first page of search engine results have an exponentially better chance of being picked than those on even the second page.

Organic Search Engine Rankings – What gives?

Today, we as a whole put a lot of trust in Google (and search engines in general); not only with our digital identity, but also with information we request and view. Organic results use Google’s coveted algorithm to pick the best, most relevant and popular websites to answer our questions or find what we’re looking for. A goal for any website is to have a number of different first page rankings within search engines. Of course, as with anything else done correctly, this will take time and steady effort. If first page rankings were as easy to achieve as some make it sound, search engines would be a volatile place with constantly changing results based on little or no pertinent information.

Paid Rankings – You Get What You Pay For (and More)

A simple trick to “get quick first-page stardom” is by using pay-per-click advertising. Relatively inexpensive, and a possible quick and easy fix for low traffic websites, programs such as AdWords can boost your traffic cost-effectively. Per-click budgets average from under $.25 to multiple-dollar bids. Your per-click budget will depend on the competitiveness of the market and your personal budget for internet marketing. Many PPC programs offer a free credit to start, sometimes as high as $100 free to start. Take advantage of these! You can quickly get an idea of the traffic this type of compaign would generate, and help you to estimate a reasonable monthly budget to increase your traffic (and bottom line).

*MarketingSherpa & Enquiro Research