This is a debate that’s been had at the roundtable of marketing for years now.
Organic search. It takes too long, it’s not producing enough leads or ROI for our business.
Paid advertising. It’s pushy, invasive, it costs a lot, it produces quick-win results.
Let’s consider this…
As you can see, there are a lot of reasons to pit these two strategies against each other, but here’s the secret…
Are you sitting for this?
They work hand-in-hand. These two strategies are a great way to drive results, build brand awareness, and engagement all the while you’re building a great content marketing strategy to support your long-term growth goals.
They shouldn’t be seen as two separate tactics, but more as two elements of the same strategy, working towards those same goals.
It sounds like a win-win.
But I’m not going to leave that there.
In this blog post, I’m going to outline the benefits of each strategy and provide you with some key insights as to why we believe you need both.
Let’s get started:
Organic search.
How many search queries do you type into Google each day?
Google processes over 40,000 search queries every second! That’s 2.4 million every minute and a whopping 3.456 billion every day.
With that many search queries happening every day, it is easy to understand the value of ranking organically.
It’s what we’re all aiming for from an organic search and SEO perspective - to rank on page one of Google for relevant keywords and phrases.
Why?
Well according to data from HubSpot, 70% of people click on organic search results, and only 30% are likely to click on paid links.
Organic search is a highly effective marketing strategy that involves the creation and distribution of highly relevant content that’s directly targeted to your buyer personas.
Take a look at our content marketing strategy template to help you build out your buyer persona’s, you can download the sheet here.
The truth of it, however, is it can take anywhere from 3 - 12 months to truly affect your rankings.
In fact, one of our clients, bountiXP, has achieved a 500% increase in organic traffic in the last 10-months and they continue to see month-on-month growth as their content strategy really starts to set in.
You can go and take a look at the case study here.
It’s a strategy that requires deep research, analysis, planning, and consistency in order to truly see results of an organic search strategy.
So it’s simple; if you’re looking for quick wins only, then organic search is not for you, but if you’re looking to drive long-term sustainable results for your business, then it’s time to dive a little deeper into what an organic strategy would look like for your business.
If you would like to find out how we can help you improve your organic ranking then click here.
Paid search.
Paid media exists across the web in multiple formats. It has the ability to reach and convert thousands of people quickly. Paid search is a great way to make sure your business gets found when potential customers use keywords that relate to your business.
In fact, it has the ability to boost your brand’s awareness by up to 80%!
Using Adwords we were able to generate over 2 million impressions in just 10 months for a client of ours. You can go take a look at the case study here.
Paid search has evolved quite a bit over the years, as more businesses have adopted this approach to digital marketing. The increased competitiveness has meant that businesses have focused on increasing the relevancy and targeting of their ads to see better results.
In fact, research suggests that 75% of people say it's easier to find what they're looking for from paid ads.
If you’re looking for immediate results then paid search can definitely help.
One, none...or both?
It’s not about one or the other.
These two strategies actually work really well together.
Paid search has the ability to yield results quickly, gain wide reach and alongside an organic strategy, you will be able to achieve long-term sustainable results for your business.
If you’re looking to take a step towards those organic traffic goals, take a look at our content marketing strategy template, it will help you define a 12-month content calendar today. Simply click the button below to grab your copy.
