What is the difference between Natural and PPC?
The difference between the two types of search results is quite simple… Organic (Natural) is traffic arriving at your website via affective SEO performance which means it’s FREE, where as PPC (Pay Per Click) as suggested by it’s name means you have to pay to have your website appear ahead of others.
PPC search results will generally appear in the side bar of your search page or as the first 3 links at the top. All other search results returned will be Organic (Natural).
Which is better?
I know it sounds like a simple question but in truth there isn’t a simple answer, both types have their uses and can be effective for driving traffic to your website.
Advantages of Organic Search
Trust and credibility: If your website naturally appears as one of the first results on a search engine, it naturally gives the visitor a feeling of trust. People will assume that your business has been established for some time and has a good chance of being the right company for them because the search engine has matched your website as the best result for the keywords searched.
Longevity: Is your website has climbed the rankings due to well executed SEO, there is a good chance it will remain there and continue to fight off your competitors.
Ranking: Once you have put in the hard work and your website is performing within a search engine, it’s easier to stay there.
Disadvantages of Organic Search
Time: Depending on how competitive your market is, climbing to the top of a search engine can take some time. You’ll may need to be patient to achieve the results you want. How patient? The only answer to that is ‘how long is a piece of string?’.
Resources: High rankings don’t just take time, you’ll also need to create relevant content for your website and implement a range of SEO tactics.
Advantages of PPC (Pay Per Click)
Time: Unlike organic searches the results of PPC are instant. As soon as you pay for your listing, you can expect to see your ad appear prominently on your selected search engine.
Target Audience: PPC can be tailored to reach a specific target audience. The means your search result will only be returned to visitors that will be potentially interested in your company. For example you could target by age, income or even marital status. If you would like to implement Pay Per Click, it would be advised that you employ someone with a expertise in the area to avoid spending money on unqualified traffic.
Disadvantages of PPC (Pay Per Click)
Time: There is no set cost for PPC, the cost completely depends on the competition. If the keyword is popular, you’ll need to pay more to outbid your competitors.
Short Life Span: Your website will only perform for as long as you are paying for PPC.
Distrust: Customers, especially experienced web users shy away from paid ads. Because websites will be returned depending on selected paid for keywords – consumers can’t be sure that the content on the actual website will be relevant to what they are searching for.
In summary both Pay Per Click and organic results will be effective for your website. Pay Per Click will get instant results and will save time and effort in implementing SEO on your website (or ideally tied you over whilst your efforts take affect). Organic rankings will give your businesses credibility and longevity – which in truth is what every company would like.
Still unsure? Not to worry, just get in touch with us and a member of our team will try to explain more and help you decide how you want prospected customers to find your website.