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In
the
first part of this series, we discussed what organic search consists
of and why it should be taken seriously as part of your online marketing
strategy. As we continue to evaluate organic search, let’s look at the
pro’s and cons to organic search. Examining the pros and cons of
organic search may help you reconsider some of your annual spend with
your online search engine marketing budget.
Benefit of Using
Organic Search
There are many benefits to using organic search. Here are the main
reasons for using organic search.
- Organic search is
cost efficient and rather inexpensive. Organic campaigns are often
cheaper than sponsored campaigns. The only costs associated may be
incurred as a result of outsourcing a
SEM company or training staff internally to perform search
engine optimization.
- Organic listings
tend to generate more click throughs as they offer unbiased product
information. FACT: More people click on organic listings than
sponsored listings. As we mentioned in the first part of this
series, as much as 85% of all click throughs in Google are said to
be organic.
- Organic results
tend to be longer lasting. Unlike a sponsored campaign where a
competitor can outbid you for top spot, a well-optimized site can
remain in top position for weeks, months and even years. I have
clients who have ranked in the top position for their main key
phrases for years. In fact, I have a client who has ranked in the
top spot in Google and Yahoo for a couple of very competitive key
words for nearly four or five years. It easy to see how these top
organic rankings help contribute to their achieving average online
sales of 150-200K per month.
- Organic search can
offer a better ROI. With the limited expense of using an organic
campaign, the return can be great.
Difficulties of Using
Organic Search
Personally, I think the benefits of using organic search outweigh the
cons. However, I don’t want to be entirely biased here so we should
discuss “the pains” of using organic search.
-
Organic
search can be difficult to measure. Without sound goals, key
performance indicators, and analytics to measure your success, organic
search efforts can be hard to associate a dollar value with.
-
Organic
results take time. There something to be said in the world of search
engine marketing for being patient. Unlike a paid campaign where
results are immediate, organic rankings can take some time to generate.
In some cases, (due to various factors such as competitiveness of key
words, online competitors with larger budgets etc) you may never achieve
top organic ranking for a key phrase.
-
With
organic search taking longer and being harder to measure, organic search
can often be a tough sell to management and decision makers in your
organization. Search in general is a new media and many executives
still do not think search is credible.
For me, I have seen many success stories as a result of using organic
search. Whether it’s to promote your brand or to sell your product,
organic search is a cost effective way of marketing yourself in the
online world. I will mention it again, with Google as many as 85% of
all click throughs are organic. If you do not have an “organic
presence” you could be missing out on a lot of potential traffic to your
site.
Organic search what’s in it for you? Well not much, just some visitor
traffic to your site, just an online presence, just a cost efficient way
of promoting your brand and/or product…
If
you haven’t thought about an organic search campaign you should. In the
final part of this series, we will look further into what organic search
can do for you. |
Jody Nimetz