In digital marketing, an "organic" search result refers to a search engine result that is not paid for by an advertiser. Organic search results will not have ads associated with them, making them much more attractive to many consumers than the paid results.
Organic search results are a key driver of traffic for most websites, and an important part of achieving success in digital marketing. The search results are determined algorithmically depending on a variety of factors. Optimizing those parameters in order to increase your sites ranking is referred to as search engine optimization, or SEO. (SEO) is the process of optimizing a website in order to make it rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). The main aim of SEO is to improve the visibility and organic search results of a website in order to attract more visitors from search engines.
Paid search results are listings on search engine results pages (SERPs) that appear because of paid advertising. They are also commonly referred to as sponsored listings. Paid search results are distinguishable from organic search results in two main ways: first, they are usually clearly labeled as advertisements; and second, they typically appear above the organic search results, or on the right-hand side of the SERP. Paid search results are generated through a bidding process in which advertisers compete against each other to have their listings placed in the paid section of the SERP.
The organic search results are those that appear naturally on the left hand side of the SERP, without having been paid for by advertisers. Many different factors influence search engine results, including the quality and relevance of your content and website to the keywords used in a search query. As such, it can be difficult for digital marketers to achieve success with organic search.
However, Organic search results are very influential and helpful to digital marketing campaigns. The high visibility of this result can encourage more people to click through to your website, and increase traffic as a result. In addition, because organic search results are free, they may be viewed by more people than paid search results, which helps drive conversions.
How are organic search results determined?
Organic search results are determined by algorithms used by the respective search engine, such as Google or Bing. These algorithms take into account various factors including keyword usage, website content quality, and user engagement metrics.
What are the benefits of optimizing for organic search results?
Optimizing for organic search results can help increase visibility for your website in SERPs, leading to more traffic and potential customers. Additionally, it can be more cost-effective than relying solely on paid advertising campaigns.
Fun Fact:
"Organic search results are the unpaid listings on a search engine results page (SERP). According to a study by BrightEdge, organic search drives 51% of all website traffic." (BrightEdge, 2019)