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November 18, 2022

Generating Quality Leads: Organic Search vs. Paid Search

Author: Harry Casimir

Do you know the best way to generate leads for your business? Most business owners are always looking for ways to generate quality leads that convert into customers. However, with so many options and strategies out there, it can be hard to know where to start. Two of the most popular methods for lead generation are organic search and paid search. In this blog post, we’ll break down the differences between organic and paid search, so you can decide which one is the best fit for your business.

Organic search

Organic search is the process of using search engines like Google to find and rank content based on relevancy and popularity. By dedicating effort to SEO, your likelihood of being found from specific keywords associated with your product or service by your users on their preferred search engine significantly increases.

Organic search is a great way to generate leads because it’s based on relevancy, it’s free, and it allows you to reach a larger audience of potential customers. To ensure that you rank well in organic search, among many things, you need to make sure your website and content are optimized for the right keywords that you want to rank for. You can do this by including those keywords in your titles, descriptions, and throughout your content.

Paid Search

Paid search is a way to generate leads by paying to have your website advertised at the top of search engine results pages. When someone searches for a keyword that you’re bidding on, your ad will appear at the top of the SERP. Here is an example of how search results generally appear on Google:

screenshot of a google search. There is an orange label showing ppc ads and a blue label showing organic results lower on the page

Paid search is also a great way to generate leads because it allows you to reach potential customers who are actively searching for the products or services that you offer. Pay Per Click (or PPC) is the most commonly used paid search. PPC ads are a great way to target consumers who you know are already interested in what you have to offer. You’ll only pay when someone clicks on your ad, making it a cost-effective way to reach potential customers.

Benefits of Organic Search

Though organic search doesn’t provide immediate results, the payoff is often worth the wait. Here are some of the benefits of organic search:

You Don’t Have to Spend Any Money

Unlike paid search, organic search does not require you to set aside a budget. If you want to use organic search, it will take some time investment. This can involve anything from learning the basics of SEO to creating a strategy and developing optimized content.

Builds Trust and Credibility

Organic search results are more likely to be trusted by potential customers because they are not influenced by paid advertisements. Your company will always make a good first impression if you are appearing amongst the top search results, whether someone is looking for comfortable shoes for their vacation or dependable software for their business.

It Allows You to Target Specific Keywords

With organic search, you can target specific keywords that are relevant to your business. This way, you can ensure that your website is being seen by people who are genuinely interested in what you have to offer. It will help ensure you come up as frequently as possible in search results related to your industry, audience, business, and products or services.

Benefits of Paid Search

It will cost you to opt for paid search but, the payoff can be worth it. Here are some of the benefits of paid search:

You’ll Get Immediate Results

Unlike organic search which can take months to see results, your ad will appear at the top of SERPs as soon as you start your campaign. This means that you can generate leads right away, without having to wait.

You Can Target Specific Locations

With paid search, you can target people in specific locations.  This can be useful if you only want to reach potential customers in a certain area.

You Can Target Specific Keywords

With paid search, you can also target specific keywords. This allows you to ensure that your ad is being seen by people who are actually interested in what you have to offer. Ads that specifically target people who are ready to buy also known as transactional searches help your company bring in revenue more quickly.

Organic or Paid Search: Which one?

Now that you know the difference between organic and paid search, you might be wondering which one is right for your business.  The answer depends on your goals, budget, and target audience.

If you’re looking to reach a large audience of potential customers, organic search is a great option. It’s also a good choice if you’re on a tight budget since organic search does not require money to show in results. Paid search is a great option if you’re looking to generate leads quickly. It’s also a good choice if you have the budget to invest in advertising, and if you’re targeting a specific location.

Tips to Generate Quality Leads

Here are some tips for generating quality leads through organic and paid search:

  • Make sure your website is optimized for organic search by including relevant keywords in your titles, descriptions, and throughout your content.
  • You can quickly see results from your investment by A/B testing a PPC ad.
  • Target specific keywords and locations to make sure you’re reaching your target audience.
  • Leverage social media to ads to promote your website content organically.
  • Generate quality leads by creating targeted landing pages for each organic and paid search ad.
  • Make sure your website is mobile-friendly since more and more people are using their smartphones to search the web.
  • Stay up to date on the latest organic and paid search trends so you can adjust your strategy as needed.

Final Thoughts

Organic and paid search are both great ways to generate quality leads for your business. By knowing the differences between the two, you can decide which one is right for you. And by following the tips above, you can be sure that you’re generating the best possible results for your business.

Atilus is a full-service digital agency that helps businesses with their websites and digital marketing. Contact us today to see how we can help you grow your business!

 

Harry Casimir

Harry Casimir is our CEO and co-founder. He specializes in all aspects of technology from hosting to server maintenance and provides overall strategic direction for our team.

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