Demystifying the World of Search With an overwhelming number of information sources available at our fingertips in this modern age it’s easy to understand why business owners are bewildered by marketing strategies, online platforms, algorithm updates and more! This is especially true when various schools of thought so often contradict each other. Any business owner wants to feel like they’ve made the right decision when it comes to implementing a marketing strategy for their business. In order to be able to do this it is important to fully understand the options available, two of the most popular and widely discussed methods are SEO and PPC, the latter also known as “paid search”. Both have pros and cons, but when placed in the right hands, can mean enormous gains for your business. The Coveted SERP Real Estate So where do paid ads and organic listings live on the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs)? PPC makes it possible for you to appear at the top of Google page 1 so long as you pay for it, and provided that your keyword bids are set correctly to outrank the competition. There are up to 4 positions available at the top of the SERPs with paid search, and up to 4 at the bottom. You can recognise a paid ad by the increasingly subtle, same-green-text-as-the-URL “Ad” symbol in the top left corner of the listing. Organic results take up the majority of real estate with 10 listings situated in the body of the page. 10 opportunities to try and convince users that you’re “it”. Where my Clicks at? So which space inspires the most clicks and gets users to your website? Well, contrary to popular belief, paid ads are responsible for the lion’s share of clicks on Google, driving 64.6% of clicks while organic unpaid results account for the remaining 35.4%. This doesn’t necessarily mean PPC is the right choice for you, but it may be the right time for you to ask yourself “what’s my budget?” Organic SEO is cost effective in that it is long lasting. When compared with PPC however, this very much comes down to the industry you’re in and the CPCs (Cost Per Clicks) which go hand-in-hand. In certain instances costs may be similar between organic and paid search. Time or Money SEO is very slow compared to PPC. If you want leads, and you want them yesterday, then it’s PPC you’re after. Optimising your site with SEO in mind is time consuming and it may be months before you begin to reap the rewards. It is most certainly worth doing though as it will only stand you (and your company) in good stead. The Best of Both (Search) Worlds So often pitted against each other, battling it out to catch the eye of any interested user, SEO and PPC continue to command the online world of search. But which is better? This has been a debate for years now and sees no sign of dissipating. Each one is better in their own right. While paid search can mean positive results almost immediately, SEO is a long-lasting commitment (and you may have to keep renewing those vows). But using both for total Google domination, well, what could be better than that? To find out about KMG SEO call us on 0203 368 8556 or info@kaumediagroup.com