There is another way: why organic search marketing is a real alternative to pay per click for online - North West Media Comment

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There is another way: why organic search marketing is a real alternative to pay per click for online

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By Simon Wharton

Wednesday, 02 May 2007

Many businesses realise that they have to generate traffic to their website if they want to, at the very least, recoup the outlay invested. But all too often they accept the received wisdom that pay per click and paid advertising will give the return that is so eagerly sought without really fully considering online organic search marketing properly.

Pay per click (PPC) and advertising on well-visited websites certainly has its benefits, I cannot and will not deny that assertion. PPC is easy to understand and, unlike many marketing activities, the return can be calculated very accurately indeed – and those are great attributes.

A typical Search Engine Results Page (SERP)

It also gives the marketing manager or owner an immediate hit. If the pressure to get results quickly is baring down, pay per click can certainly ease the pressure with immediate effect – a simple solution handed on a plate.

Yet, this singular approach is limited.

I am not discounting pay per click or paid advertising: there is a place for both in combination with organic search marketing. Indeed, the best campaigns combine both approaches to stunning effect because both present different strengths, which work well together.

Before I explain further I really need to clarify what I mean by organic search marketing. I am referring to a collection of methods that includes using discussion forums, social networking sites, reciprocal links, identifying and utilising sites that Google and other prominent search engines use to rank websites and good old fashioned search engine optimisation: search engine ranking.

So why do I have such belief in organic search marketing if 84% of online spend comes in the form of paid placement and PPC, according to online experts E-consultancy?

Well, my first point is that organic search marketing has much to offer but is generally overlooked. Online marketing, as with so many disciplines, is not fully understood and so the buyer chooses the option they can quickly get a grip of or feel comfortable with: PPC and paid placement.

But my proof goes much further: various studies show that a prospective buyer will use organic searches 60% - 80% of the time. Moreover, organic search results gather up to 6 times more clicks than paid for advertising.

The reasons for this can possibly be attributed to a number of factors. Firstly, buyers tend to trust search engines and brands such as Google foster confidence.

Secondly, according to a study conducted by US marketing firm Enquiro and eye tracking technology company Eyetools, surfers follow an F shaped pattern of scanning. This means that the search results, on the left, are viewed more closely than on the right where the PPCs are located. The F viewing pattern extends over to the PPC – but only the top ones.

Pay per click search company Overture’s research has confirmed this viewpoint. A marketing campaign that secures a combination of a top three placement with a top placed PPC will generate a 93% chance of gaining a click.

However, if organic search is being overlooked then this represents a real opportunity for those that utilise these much under-used techniques.

Online search marketing undeniably does not have the immediate hit of PPC and paid advertising. But whereas PPC and paid advertising’s effects ware off quickly, organic search marketing has a real impact in the medium to long term and even after the campaign has finished it will still yield a return. Many companies will find its longevity and substance of organic search a real benefit.

Organic search marketing benefits from low costs, established reader behaviour and the trust of many commercial and consumer surfers in their search engines to provide the most meaningful search returns.

Consequently, online search cannot be discounted from any online campaign that really wants to achieve a substantial return. With organic search marketing techniques rapidly evolving and being popularised and PPC becoming over subscribed it can only be a matter of time before clever marketers take heed and chose another way to do their online marketing.

Simon Wharton runs PushON – a Manchester based specialist online search marketing agency.

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Comments (4)

1 By Peter Young, on 02-05-2007 09:42
Wouldnt necessarily agree with the point

"Online marketing, as with so many disciplines, is not fully understood and so the buyer chooses the option they can quickly get a grip of or feel comfortable with: PPC and paid placement. "

Buyers cannot be guaranteed of results in terms of visibility unlike PPC (where if you have the cash you can guarantee positioning - and to a certain degree potential traffic). Organic Search Marketing is a more 'risky' and long term and whilst potential returns could be higher, these are not as definite nor flexible, and as such many buyers choose to take the PPC option

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2 By Simon Wharton , on 03-05-2007 12:24
Certainly, PPC done well, is a tool that you need in your armoury but only one tool. If you rely solely on PPC you are effectively only addressing 20%-40% of the market. It is a matter of trust and perceived value. Many people do not like clicking on ads, even if they are looking to buy something. There is an implicit trust in organic search results so people will tend to use what they perceive to be trustworthy websites.
Also consider whether you want to concede that ground to your competition. If a competitor manages to establish themselves in search results then they are generally going to be getting a greater volume of traffic and a lesser cost than a PPC campaign.
Which position would you prefer to be in, increasing costs for decreasing traffic via PPC, or increasing traffic for decreasing costs via organic search?
I'll take a lot from column A, and a little from column B please.

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3 By Craig McGinty , on 03-05-2007 13:20
Agree very much with what Simon has written, being seen in the regular search results and not the sponsored links section will prove more valuable.

It is clear that articles and content will play an important role if this route is followed but working with companies who appreciate this is something I feel freelance journalists overlook.

Providing a company with news driven pieces about an industry sector on a regular basis will not only benefit the journalist, but also boost the ranking of the company website in search engine results.

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4 By Brandi , on 09-05-2007 06:10
I agree that you have to have a balanced approach. However, if you're truly trying to reach a niche market, or launching a new site or product, using a combination of PPC and SEO is necessary to reach the top of the rankings. Its going to be hard to increase your ranking you never rise abouve the 5th page of Google.

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