Organic Search 

The organic search focuses more on the content of the website than its marketing side. What is an “organic search result” and how does it work? 

Search engines rank websites based on the content’s relevance and the keywords used. Reaching the top rank of the organic search lists costs website managers nothing, not even a single penny, but it requires a lot of effort and hard work. Google updates its system frequently, and that is what needs to be focused on, especially for those who want to rank high in organic search results. Changes and updates made by Google mean changes and updates to the content and keywords used on every webpage.

In simple terms, organic traffic is earned based on how frequently the keywords used in the content are searched by the users.  

Paid Search

This is where businesses and advertisers spend money. Paid search is simply paid advertising. Results of paid search have the “ad” word on the upper left part on the top of the title tag. These often appear and work on a pay-per-click ad structure. Here, advertisers spend money just to reach the top of the search results. 

In short, organic search is free, and paid search is paid by advertisers to secure a rank on the search engine result page.   

Organic Search vs Paid Search 

Parameter  Organic  Paid 
Search Results  Appears after the paid ads  Appears on the top of the search result 
Clicks  Gets less clicks  Gets more clicks 
Ranking  Organic goes through a process before it earns a rank  Paid can get a rank in an instant because advertisers pay for the spot 
Traffic  It gets better traffic   Not better than any other form 
Conversion   Conversion is not as good compared to paid  Optimized keywords mean more conversion 
Effect  Can benefit businesses in the long run  If pay-per-click is on hold, so does the traffic 
Pros 
  • Free of charge 
  • Relevant results 
  • Boost site credibility/relevance 
  • Increase website visibility 
  • Consistent rank position 
Cons 
  • Takes time to be ranked  
  • Continuous search engine update and algorithm changes will affect the results 
  • Can be biased 
  • Demands costly maintenance 
  • Generate short-term results 
  • Experience-based 

Take note that both types of searches have their benefits for your business. Looking through and scrutinizing their characteristics will help you decide what best suits your website and what will help you better secure a rank on Google. 

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