Even though you could simply focus on one of paid or organic search, doing so would hurt your bottom line. Having said that, if you can only pursue one, consider whether you require immediate gratification. Yes? Decide on paid search. Or do you have the time to pursue long-term ongoing results that call for long-term upkeep and improvement? If so, organic search will be more beneficial to your company.
Undecided? Here are some numbers to think about.
- 70% of marketers believe that SEO (organic search strategies) are superior to PPC (advertising) for generating sales; they claim that appearing in organic search results led to higher click-through rates, longer time spent on the page, and more leads in the long run.
- 80% of Google users who conduct searches entirely ignore the paid advertisements. 70% of links that users click during searches are organic.
Consider that sufficient justification for investing in organic search. Here is some supporting information for paid search.
- Only 50% of users can correctly distinguish between advertising and organic search results.
- Up to 80% of search advertising can increase awareness.
- 75% of searchers believe it’s simpler to locate what they want via paid advertising, with 63% saying they would click on one if it was relevant to their search.
- Within 24 hours, 88% of local business searches result in visits or calls.
In the end, try to conceive of it as organic AND paid search rather than organic VS sponsored search. Also remember the complimentary function of paid social. Check out our in-depth comparison of paid search vs. paid social marketing for another comparable viewpoint.