There are many things said about paid and organic search, but one misconception stands out—they can’t work in harmony. In this blog, we will sort this myth out and shed some light on this important topic: integrating paid and organic search.
While paid and organic search are different in many aspects, it does not mean they can’t work together. Actually, integrating both should be a top priority among digital marketers. Why? Because doing so will lead to performance improvements.
Different Methods, Similar Purpose
The factors used to determine the rank of pay per click (PPC) ads and search engine optimization (SEO) listings are completely different but there are similarities as well. So it is natural to for you to wonder whether your PPC or SEO efforts are the reason why your page’s position in the search engine results page (SERP).
To determine which one is responsible for your site’s position in the SERP, it is important to test PPC ads in different positions and to measure the comprehensive sales and revenue care of paid and organic search. One way to do this is to link your Google AdWords accounts to your Google Search Console. By doing so, you will be able to run a Search Query Report (SQR) on both paid and organic. This will allow you to acquire data on impressions, average position, and clicks for the two channels.
Basically, by using that method, you will be able to determine the effect of the average position on organic click-through rate of specific search terms. When done correctly, the data you uncovered will tell you whether or not that keyword is dismantling organic traffic. You would also want to build up the bids on a keyword for you to measure how much of the increase in traffic is accumulative and how much of it would have been gathered by organic efforts. It is all about finding the right balance.
However, you should also take note of some limitations. First, the organic data you pulled from paid search query may not be completely accurate, so take everything with a grain of salt. Furthermore, you’ll not be able to see the data on an individual impression level; so it is advisable to utilize weighted correlation to have a clearer picture of the numbers presented.
The Importance of Determining Organic Average Position
One tip you should take note of is: Consider the organic average position first before going all out on keyword bids that would compete with high position organic results. How? First, open the report on a keyword-by-keyword basis. Additionally, use AdWords Scripts to determine the keywords with average organic position based on paid organic query application programming interface (API) call. Alternatively, you can use SEMrush to utilize a script to mark keywords picked up by its API.
Another Way to Harmonise Paid and Organic Search
You can use keywords to help improve click-through rates across your site if those keywords drive users to click through ads in the SERP to your site. So it is logical to use PPC ad copy testing to come up with the right wording for metadata and page titles. This better integrates your paid and organic search efforts.
Yes, paid and organic are different entities in many ways, but you can use both in harmony to your advantage. It might require a handful of effort but it will be worth as it could lead to measurable performance improvements.
These techniques can bring your brand up to the top, but if you don’t want the hassle of doing everything on your own, contact us today, and we’ll get everything done for you.