This article will help you understand the difference between ‘organic’ and ‘sponsored’ search engine rankings. It is important to know the difference when choosing a company to optimize your website for the search engines.
ORGANIC VS. SPONSORED SEARCH RESULTS
Quick Summary: ‘Organic’ or ‘natural’ search engine rankings mean that you show up on the search results without having to pay a fee to the search engine company such as Google, Yahoo, or MSN. When someone clicks on your web page on search results when your site comes up organically high you do not have to pay anyone.
When you have a ‘sponsored’ result you have to pay the search engine a dollar amount that is determined according to the competitive nature of the keyword you want to rank high for. Users click on both types of results but research has shown that conversions from visitor to paying customer are considerably higher when your website shows up as a ‘organic’ or ‘natural’ search result – since it is more trustworthy and credible.
Our Minneapolis SEO services can include either organic search engine optimization, sponsored search campaign (pay per click), or a combination of both.
SPONSORED SEARCH RESULTS:
Sponsored results are relatively easy to understand. Google, Yahoo, and MSN all have their own sponsored link services. Google Adwords is the most popular of these sponsored link programs. You create an account with Google Adwords for free, choose the search phrases you want, and then pay Google when you receive visits from people who search for the terms you choose. The concept sounds simple enough but it really is much more complicated than meets the eye when you consider your return on investment.
When you choose the search phrases you want to appear for in the sponsored results, Google will ask you how much you are willing to pay per click. Depending on the amount you are willing to pay per click will ultimately determine your placement amongst competitors in the sponsored link results. The higher – the better – which means your competitors can always raise the amount they are willing to pay per click with Google Adwords to stay one step ahead of you. The majority click on the 1st result when searching the internet and can often be sold on that 1st website. Bidding wars and fierce battles may erupt when your competitor only has to increase his bid to get one step ahead of your business.
Here is a summary of the pros and cons of Google Adwords (the same applies to Yahoo Search Engine Marketing and MSN Adcenter).
The more popular a search phrase is (such as “web design” is a higher searched term than “Minneapolis web design) the more competitive it is and therefore more expensive per click. In order to be in the first ten search results (also known as the 1st page of sponsored link results) you will have to set a maximum amount you are willing to pay per click that is high enough to be in the top ten – otherwise, your ad will get lost in the clutter.
By selecting the right keywords (niche keywords) such as geographically targeted phrases or not picking broad based phrases you are more likely to spend less money on Google Adwords per month and more likely to have targeted search phrases that require less investment every month.
Please visit our Minnesota Pay Per Click section for more information on sponsored search result campaigns and how we can assist you.
ORGANIC SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION:
Getting a website to rank high organically is very important. The main difference between sponsored search results and organic search results is that you do not have to pay a search engine company such as Google everytime someone clicks on your website link on the search results. Google has a very complicated mathematical algorithm for determining how websites are rated and where they will display on the organic search results. Click here to view our (Organic Search Engine Rankings) we have achieved for our clients.
Google’s mathematical algorithm for determining your websites placement is based on a number of factors which can include (but not limited to):
- The number of one-way links to your website from relevant, related, and reputable 3rd party websites (no link farms).
- The amount of website traffic your website receives and the time visitors stay on your website.
- The keyword density and keyword proximity of the search phrases for which you want to rank highly for (the percentage is confidential).
- Keywords in your URL, domain name, header, title tag, description meta tag, body text, heading tags, keyword phrase order, alt text, internal page linking, intra-site linking, outgoing link anchor text, link stability over time, domain name extensions, file size, keyword stemming, and applied semantics.
- The frequency and freshness of your website’s content.
- The age of your website and domain name (the older the better).
It is important to choose a Minneapolis SEO company that can optimize your website for the search engines. More importantly is finding one that will not give you fluff and bottom dollar prices while promising the world. Organic search engine optimization is hard work for competitive industry businesses. Mankato Web Design has been able to get hundreds of websites ranked on the 1st page of results for Google, Yahoo, and MSN in local and national markets.
Learn more about our search engine optimization services including link building campaigns.
CONTACT US TODAY - FREE CONSULTATION
Contact us today at (612) 558-1020 to talk to a web designer and seo expert who will examine your situation and discuss a solution.
