Paid vs. Organic Listings
Most search engines provide their uses with both paid and organic listings for each search they conduct. An organic listing simply refers to those web pages returned as the result of a search which are ranked by the search engine in order of relevance to the term or phrase being searched. In other words, if you conduct a search on Google for “automotive repair”, they will present you with a listing of pages related to that phrase, and Google will attempt to provide you with the most relevant pages first. Organic listings are the listings that traditional SEO strategies attempt to improve by moving your website to the first page of the search engine returns for any given search related to your business.
Paid listings, on the other hand, represent companies who have paid the search engine to have their page presented when a search for a certain phrase is conducted. When you search Google for “automotive repair”, you will see up to three companies listed at the very top of the page – before the organic listings – as well as several more companies listed down the right-hand side of the page. Each of these companies paid a small amount to have their website listed is such a prominent position.
These types of paid listings are generically called Pay per Click (PPC), and are also known by their brand names such as Google AdWords or Microsoft adCenter. They are called pay per click because the companies sponsoring the links are not charged until a person conducting a search actually clicks on the link to visit the company’s website.
Most PPC providers use a bidding process which determines which ads are placed on each page, and in which order. You bid for different search terms, and prices can range from a few cents to a few dollars per click, depending on how popular and sought-after that term is. You determine your budget for your PPC campaign, select the keywords and phrases you wish to compete for, choose the pages you wish to have them displayed on, and let the search engine take care of displaying your links. Because you determine your budget and select the search terms you are competing for, you have a good deal of control over the process.
Pay per click campaigns are something that you can deal with yourself – the search engines provide all of the tools necessary to get you started n the right direction. If you prefer to have your campaign professionally managed, we can assist you with implementing and managing your PPC campaign. We offer the expertise in selecting search terms to obtain maximum value for your dollar, and can provide you with extensive weekly or monthly reporting on our results.