Which One Will Get Your Business the Best Search Results?
Every day someone asks our Maryland SEO company the same question — “Can you get my business to page one of Google?” And it’s obvious why — a whopping 70-85% of searchers believe that the “best” companies are the ones ranked highest in Google or Bing searches. And those are the websites that get the clicks. It’s a page 1-2 or die mentality — if you’re not on top, then your site might as well not exist. Every business wants that glorious #1 spot, but not many know how to get there. Not many know how to get anywhere close.
There are two methods of bringing traffic to your website: optimizing your website for organic search results (search engine optimization MD) and Google AdWords. To help you understand the differences between the two and which is a better investment for your business, we’ve broken down the major advantages and disadvantages of each.
What are AdWords & Organic Search Results?
Organic search results are the listings displayed based on Google’s natural, organic algorithms. You should note that Google changes those algorithms as many as 400 times a year. By using words, sentences and paragraphs on your website, social media marketing and other online communication that utilize the right keywords and keyword phrases, you can bump up your organic search results. (Click here to learn more about maximizing your keywords). Having quality website content has become a significant SEO issue. The days of a few weak backlinks and meta keywords are long behind us. Today, fresh and search-relevant content is king. There are many other organic SEO tactics, but for now this will do.
AdWords, however, are paid advertisement listings that appear above and on the right side of organic search results. You bid a certain price for specific search phrases or words. Based on your price, your advertisement shows up in the paid search area at or near the top of Google when a user searches that phrase. AdWords are often used when keyword usage is unclear or competition is very tough — a national travel company, for example. They can be turned on and off instantly, which makes AdWords a good investment where the need changes fast.
How Much Time Do You Need To Invest To Increase Organic Search Results?
Ranking high in Google’s search results organically takes a lot of TLC. It requires careful planning, analysis and very intensive labor — services that our SEO Maryland team at Power Marketing is known and respected for. We like to think of organic search results as a marathon not a sprint. They take longer time (and more hard work) to produce results than AdWords. Search engine dominion online isn’t a one-time event. It’s a well-thought out online strategy designed to reach your audience and achieve your sales goals over time. AdWords, on the other hand, can start appearing on Google almost immediately after setting up a campaign. If you pay enough, you can be on page one instantly.
How Much Does It Cost To Get My Site To The Top Of Search Results?
Paying for Google AdWords can get pretty pricey. Every click to your website is a charge to your company — whether that visitor purchases your products/services or not. Imagine having to pay every time some kid discovers the Internet (and your website) for the first time and clicks away!
With organic search results, there’s no cost per click. You pay nothing to Google for appearing in their organic search results. However, companies like ours do charge for our search engine optimization MD services. This includes researching your keyword competition, keyword loading your website copy, frequently utilizing your keywords in social media, blogs and more, and programming your website for the best search results possible. Only a knowledgeable, experienced SEO expert team like Power Marketing can achieve this.
But What About My Site’s Search Results?
While AdWords appear in Google much faster, producing immediate search results, their residual effect (long-term value after stopping) is very low. Organic results take more time to produce results (about 3-5 months minimum), but they have a far greater residual effect than AdWords. Organic search results are what attract the majority of traffic — between 75-85% of Google searches, while less than 25% bother to click on paid advertising. It does take a longer time to rise to the top of Google’s organic search crop, but the payoffs are much, much greater.
As quickly as you can rise to the top with AdWords, you can also plummet to the bottom. Your competition may outbid you or you can reach your quote for the day, which means your ads aren’t being seen. With AdWords, a number of different search phrases will trigger the ad’s appearance. Likewise, a number of different ads can be triggered by the same keyword phrase.
AdWords almost always guarantee that your business is displayed in search results. However, according to a new study by eBay, businesses may be wasting billions of dollars each year paying for keyword advertising on Google. According to the study, most customers would have clicked through to a particular site without being prompted by an ad. “This implies that brand keyword advertising has neither persuasive nor informative value… [and] suggests companies are wasting their money targeting ads at existing customers,” according to the study. Overall, AdWords may seem a glamorous, fast results choice, but in the long run organic search success has much, much greater value.
Want help finding your way to the top of search engines? Call us at 301-416-7861, visit our website, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter. We’ll get you the search engine optimization results you need to succeed.