Organic search results are the unpaid ads that appear on a search engine's results page (SERP). These results are based on factors such as relevance to the user's search query, inbound links, valid search engine optimization (SEO) efforts, and domain authority. While organic search focuses on unpaid rankings in search results, paid search focuses on paid rankings. With organic search, companies use SEO to optimize the visibility or positioning of their site in search results.
In comparison, paid search allows users to pay for a prominent place in search results. The main difference is that search engine optimization (SEO) focuses on optimizing a website to get traffic from organic search results. On the other hand, the goal of search engine marketing (SEM) is to get traffic and visibility from both organic and paid search. Organic SEO uses the web strategy to target users, regardless of where in the world they are located.
Local SEO, on the other hand, targets a specific local audience within certain geographical locations so that a small business can improve its performance in local searches. While paid search can start generating leads, orders, and revenue immediately, organic search takes several months to deliver results. When you launch and maintain your SEO strategy, in addition to expanding it (for example, by adopting voice search SEO), your company can maximize all the benefits of organic SEO. SEO is the practice of continuously optimizing a website to position it on the organic and unpaid search engine results pages (SERP).
This means that your team will have to invest time in learning about SEO, whether with free courses, online guides, or practical training from an experienced consultant. Optimizing your website for organic search, as well as optimizing some external factors to improve your visibility in organic search, doesn't cost anything to get started. Organic SEO is often used when a small business wants to position itself better in Google search results, increase overall sales reach, or raise awareness of its brand. If you focus on long-tailed keywords and implement SEO best practices, you can start seeing some results in a few months.
While the evolution of search results has improved the user experience, the change has had an impact on organic search. In the world of digital marketing, SEO or search engine optimization is a strategy that helps increase traffic to your web pages and social media platforms. So if you think you can write AMAZING content on the topics that customers are looking for on Google, SEO is probably your best bet. For brick-and-mortar businesses, such as small retailers, service providers, and others, a local SEO strategy is often the most effective.
Because organic search and paid search offer unique benefits, they're useful for achieving different goals in your strategy. Overall, organic SEO is definitely an essential part of an overall digital marketing strategy, but local SEO could be even more important for your local business. While demographic information, such as location, can help your overall marketing approach, keyword data benefits your SEO strategy.