Search engine optimization (SEO)
SEO is aimed at achieving the highest position practical in the organic listings on the search engine results pages. To do this you need to define a list of keyphrases to work with and then develop relevant content and links to content which refer to these phrases in the document metadata such as page titles, page markup and body copy. You also need to ensure that all relevant pages on your site are included within the search engine index and that the site architecture and internal links are appropriate to feature the right pages.
In Google and Bing Search, the natural listings are on the left, although there may be sponsored links above and below these results.
There is no charge for organic listings to be displayed, nor when a link to your site is clicked on. However, you may need to pay a SEO firm or consultant to assist with inclusion of your pages within the search engine index, on-page optimization, link-building and the ongoing work often needed to make your website appear higher in the rankings.
Other reasons to employ SEO expertise include managing security of content, copyright ownership, reputation management and user experience management.
Paid-search marketing
Within paid-search marketing, there are two main alternatives plus other less commonly used variations:
(a) Paid-search engine advertising (Pay Per Click / sponsored listings).
These are highly-relevant text ads with a link to a company page and some ad text, displayed when the user of a search engine types in a specific phrase. These ads are displayed in the sponsored listings part of the SERPs.
As the name suggests, a fee is charged for every click of each link, with the amount bid for the click determining the position in all search networks other than Google.
That ‘other than Google’ comment is crucial since those new to paid search marketing often do not realize that Google Ads also factors in the quality of the ad, in particular its clickthrough rate into where it displays your ad. To be successful in Google Ads is about striving to increase your ad clickthrough rate and quality.
The most important PPC services are:
- Google Ads
- Bing Ads
- Facebook Meta Ads
(b) Content-network paid-search advertising
In the content network, sponsored links are displayed by the search engine on a network of third-party sites. These are typically media-owned sites such as online newspapers or affiliate marketing sites. The sponsored links are displayed in different forms of ad units including vertical skyscrapers (the classic ladder of ads on the right hand side of a site’s pages), horizontal banners and simple text links.
They are also known as ‘contextual ads’ since often they are displayed on the basis of content on the page on which they are served.
Ads may be paid for on the basis of clicks (this is most common) or on the number of ads served (CPM basis).
Paid-search advertising is more similar to conventional advertising than SEO, since you pay to advertise in ‘sponsored links’ which are in display ad units on third-party sites.
And the less commonly used variations are as follows…
(c) Paid for inclusion (PFI)
Here PPC ads are placed within the search listings of some search engines interspersed with the organic results. In paid inclusion, the advertiser specifies pages with specific URLs for incorporation into the search engine organic listings.
For a fee, this URL is regularly updated and included in the index. There is also a fixed cost per click (CPC). A crucial difference with other PPC types is that the position of the result in the search engine listings is not paid according to price bid, but the normal algorithm rules of that search engine.
Paid for inclusion is also sometimes known as a trusted feed. This is simply an automated method of putting content into a search engine index in a fixed format. It is often used in conjunction with a paid for inclusion program. It is most commonly used for e-retailers that have hundreds or thousands of pages in a catalogue
While paid for inclusion and trusted feed were hyped several years ago by the search engines themselves and their agencies as an incremental revenue stream, paid search has now shaken out so that the main investment is in the sponsored listings and this is where we focus in this guide.
(e) Pay Per Call. With Pay Per Call, payment occurs when the searcher phones a number unique to the ad. Within Google, the service is known as Click-to-Call. Despite much hyped introductions, the volume of click-to-call is very low with no published results from the search engines. It is likely to currently be sub one percent, but can be expected to increase with the deal between Google and eBay to offer such a service enabled through Google Talk and Skype.
(f) Pay Per Text. Here ads are included in mobile text messages in a service known as TXT//AD. As such, it is outside the scope of paid search marketing, so is not considered further in this report.
(g) Shopping comparison engines. This is a type of affiliate marketing through price or shopping comparison engines or aggregators (a term more usually used in financial services, utilities or travel for sites such as including comparison sites).
Relative expenditure on SEO and paid-search
Expenditure on paid-search is much higher than that on SEO. Many organizations adopt a strategy focusing on paid-search since it is more controllable, and immediate results are possible.
There are a number of reasons why you might need to opt for paid-search vs natural search; charity appeals, for example, where time is of the essence.
Yeah, but smart marketers are increasing investment into organic SEO!
Why? Well, in the long-term, organic listings will deliver a potentially higher volume of visitors at a lower cost per click. Organic clicks are essentially free. There is greater competition in paid-search these days. Click costs have increased in many sectors to a point where there is limited scope for profit. Your ability to generate ROI depends on how well you convert traffic to long-term customers, and paid-search traffic costs money.
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