Both paid and organic search results have their pros and cons. Ultimately, it depends on what you’re looking for and what you’re hoping to get out of your marketing budget. We’ve broken down all the differences between the two so that you can see exactly how each one works and why one is better than the other.
Paid Results
Pay-per-click ads are relatively self-explanatory, wherein you pay a certain amount every time someone clicks on your ad. Typically with PPC ads, you pay to be either within the top four or the bottom three search results. If you are paying for an ad under Google’s shopping tab, however, it will show up on the sidebar of Google’s search results.
Cons:
- PPC ads can get expensive. After a while, you might end up paying more for these ads than they’re worth. If you’re paying more than you would have to just invest in SEO, PPC ads might not be the best long-term solution.
- Results depend on payment – Essentially, it’s the difference between renting and owning. You might make more mortgage payments in the long run, but once you’re done you have something of value to show for it. Once you stop paying rent, you stop having a place to live. The same goes for PPC ads. Once you stop paying, your results go away.
Pros:
- Guarantee – Paid results have more immediate benefits, and you know for sure that your website will appear in a search results page.
- Higher rank – You get what you pay for, right? If you want to be in that very first slot on a search results page, you’re going to have to pay for it.
Organic Results
Organic results are notably harder to obtain, but they do have a variety of benefits once you do. Google aims to provide relevant and useful results. Instead of focusing on particular search terms, organic results have more to do with domain authority and keywords within your website. It takes longer to build links than it does to buy them, but you’re more likely to see better results in the long run when you earn your results organically.
Cons:
- More time consuming – SEO takes more commitment than PPC ads. If you don’t want to invest the money, you need to be willing to invest the time.
- Takes way longer to see results – Good SEO doesn’t come overnight. It could easily be six months before you start seeing real results.
- Unpredictability – PPC ads guarantee you a spot in a results page, but organic search results do not. You don’t really know whether or not you will get the results you need, and overall you have less control over your position in a results page.
Pros:
- Results last longer – Paying for ads isn’t building up to anything, whereas establishing organic results will ensure long-term SEO success.
- More cost affective – You still might end up paying for your SEO, but you won’t have to pay every single time someone clicks on your link. Once you’ve built your SEO organically, each click will be free no matter how many you earn.
So what do you choose?
Like we mentioned before, it depends on what you want out of your SEO experience. If you want something immediate and affective and you have room in your budget, go with paid results. If you want results that will last and you have the time to put into it, start working on your SEO. And of course, you aren’t limited to just one option. A combination of both could also serve you well. Regardless, sitting back and hoping it will happen on its own should not be an option; get started now and boost your results and your sales ASAP.
GTECH Designs is a Baltimore-based digital marketing agency that is committed to helping companies and business owners drive brand value through digital channels. We do this by uniting your brand with creative concepts and marketing. The result? Better ROI. Let’s start a conversation, we don’t bite:) Give us a call on 410-775-4011 or drop us a line at [email protected]. We are also social, connect with us via :