Marketing Blog

Organic search (or natural search) is one of the two ways that Internet users find online search results. I’ve written about it before, when I’ve talked about search engine optimization (SEO). SEO is a process of customizing your website so that search engines can find and index it organically. Although you can pay for SEO services, the expenditure does not have a direct effect on individual search results. Click here for more information on the basics of SEO.

In contrast, there is another way for search engines (and Internet users) to find your site. You can pay for search engines to show your site in search results when a search is made. This is called paid search advertising. You’ve likely seen paid search results when using a search engine, like Google. The image below shows the location on the page and the difference in appearance between organic search results (red) and paid search results (green) on a typical Google search.
 

Depending on how much you are willing to pay for your desired search terms, you can bid on desired keywords and, as a result, guarantee that your link will come up at the top of the list. Then, once an ad is placed on the page, the advertiser pays for every click they receive from that ad. The link passes the user through to the advertisers’ website, and sometimes directs searchers to a very targeted landing page, with a compelling call to action. This process is called pay-per-click (PPC) advertising.

Depending on your marketing goals, both SEO and paid search advertising can be effective ways that you can improve the search results for your website:

• PPC – providing you shorter-term results with lower upfront cost
• SEO – providing you longer-term results with a higher upfront cost

Do you have questions on our Cleveland SEO services?  We’d be happy to answer them for you.   Leave a comment below or contact one of our Skoda Minotti Strategic Marketing  professionals at 440-449-6800. 

Interested in an SEO report for your company? Click here to receive a free sample.