Long-Term Organic SEO Strategies Are Helping Small Businesses Grow

There are two main types of search engine optimization (SEO) results, pay per click (PPC) and organic or natural results. PPC advertising is paying for a result when someone searches the Internet for a service or product. Many people, when they search, know the difference between a paid ad and a natural organic result. Paid ads are almost always at the top of any page and in the sidebar. You know, the ones in pink… Those are paid results. Someone is paying good money every time someone clicks on an ad and lands on a company’s website. Anyone can pay their way to the highest position. For almost any keyword search, you’ll see someone willing to pay to drive traffic. But while companies can pay Bing or Google to rank well on search pages, search engines also show real results just below the payouts. Actual results that are generated, not based on how much someone paid for them, but because they are relevant to the search term.

Many companies pay for PPC advertising for many reasons. Markets that are highly saturated with competitive conditions can take time to corner, and in the short term it might make sense to use these methods. However, consumers realize that these sites are paid and do not generate much trust. It is clear that they have paid for these results. Most people follow real results that they can trust because they are relevant, not because of how much they pay for them. And of course, once they stop paying for an ad, their position in the results disappears.

Most organic SEO starts with the website itself. In many cases, business pages, even if well designed, have little to no SEO done. It is also possible that they have been configured incorrectly with bad keyword options. Most SEOs start with keyword and phrase research to find out what terms ready-to-buy customers are actually searching for. The use of these words may require optimization on page tags and titles that are evaluated by search engines.

This approach is also effective in the longevity of these search results, as it provides the authority and relevance search engines are looking for. You cannot achieve relevance by paying or using deceptive methods. Being a web authority means providing continually changing and up-to-date content that consumers want to read. Sticking with relevant content and building your influence by linking back to your site will keep you on top of the search results. And it is that, since organic SEO lasts, companies are reassessing their long-term strategies.

It’s easy to see how organic SEO can trump pay-per-click advertising. With proper planning and execution, an organic SEO campaign can help achieve a company’s goal of being on the first page of search results and, as a result, generate more sales. Companies often pay large sums of money on PPC campaigns. And while PPC isn’t a bad idea on its own, the benefit ends when the money stops. Organic SEO, on the other hand, continues long after your efforts. If your page naturally ranks well, it will likely continue to do so in the future. And of course, if they appear on their own, it means there’s a better chance of finding the relevant content there.