The Difference Between Paid And Organic Traffic
When Google, Facebook, and all those media darlings were just getting their feet wet the internet was a mess. Everything on the world wide web was simply plopped down and picked up by users— organization of data was an eyesore. An exercise to get an idea of how the internet operated a couple of years ago is this: grab a couple of stacks of folders and toss them over your shoulders— all at once. Do that for about a week. Now that you have that mountain of papers, ask your next-door neighbor to find a pressing data point in that pigsty. That was the net of old.
Then, Google started to unveil its spiders. What spiders? Tiny bots and programs are made to organize the interwebs coherently. Suddenly you tossed the folders once more over your shoulder and tiny little elves - Google’s spiders - would organize the mess every night while you slept. Google started to file everything. And, as updates are prone to do, it started to get better at it. It started to learn and get more finicky with the way it archived. It started to criticize what it was sticking into drawers. Now, users had only two ways of getting their work shelved properly and, more importantly, getting handed out to other users that might want to see said work. Have a better product (organic) or grease the spider’s legs with money (paid).
The product in question? Content.
Is Organic Traffic Better Than Paid Traffic?
Not necessarily. They simply have different goals and different results. Organic’s traffic goal is not only to get you clients but to also form a relationship through backlinks and contacts as well as spruce up your brand by giving it credibility and authoritative status. Paid traffic’s goal isn’t as elegant but it is simple — bring in the money.
As a rule, organic searches are more cost-effective in the long run — BUT they take longer to get any traction and give you a nice return on your investment. Meanwhile, paid traffic is blunt and to the point, it gets you quick results — while also costing you more.
Let's learn more about SEO vs SEM traffic below.
What Is Organic Traffic?
In web searches query results that are calculated by the platforms - Google’s - algorithm and isn’t affected by advertising or payments is called organic traffic.
Back when the net was just starting off and Google, Yahoo! and Bing, the main search engines, began to capitalize on traffic and add paid ads users couldn’t discriminate between advertisement and actual natural content. A survey conducted in 2004 determined that most users were color-blind when it came to the two.
Little by little regulations started to appear on the market and companies like Google were forced by law to distinguish between one and the other. This spawned the creation of algorithms whose main purpose was to qualify something as either paid — or organic.
Since then, the term has stuck on — and in July 2009, it became the official nomenclature for all types of traffic devoid of ads.
Benefits Of Organic Traffic Cost
• Cost: Once you have a sound SEO (search engine optimization) strategy in place and a good copywriter you won’t have to pay extra to generate organic traffic — unlike its counterpart Paid Traffic.
• Users: Most users prefer organic results. Why? Because as a whole they are wary of paid traffic. They prefer articles and products that come naturally to them.
• Competition: If you approach organic traffic aggressively, you can in fact end up blocking your competition's web presence. The higher your site appears on search results, the lower they will figure.
• Credibility: Organic traffic gives you trust — it infuses your brand with credibility. Organic traffic affects your reputation because it shows you didn’t have to go and pay for your likes or views. It’s like going up to the door of a swanky club — ask yourself, who makes a better impression? The person who got in without fuzz and on their looks or merits? Or the fella’ who sulked up to the bouncer whispered in his ear and handed him a wad of cash?
What Is Paid Traffic?
Paid traffic works like another type of advertising. It’s generating views through paid means. When you want to exhibit something, say a new product or a certain blog post, slink up to your provider of choice and give them money to always show your wares before everybody else’s.
The 3 main providers, right now of paid traffic are Google, YouTube, and Facebook.
How Does Paid Traffic Work?
When you want to create an ad through paid traffic you go to a provider’s automated platform — for example Google Ads. The platform establishes a price for certain keywords and then you have to bid on that keyword — said price-point depends on the popularity of the keyword.
The platform then evaluates:
• Your maximum Pay Per Click bid.
• The quality of your website.
• The ad relevance.
• The landing page’s security.
• The relevance of your proposed ad.
Based on how the platform - for example Google - qualifies you it then decides how your ad will rank.
Benefits Of Paid Traffic
• Short Term - Unlined organic traffic, paid gets you immediate results and in many cases, for certain trending items or launches it is the best way to advertise.
• Drive Conversions - if properly configured, paid traffic can funnel in not only views but conversions. Paid traffic properly pre-set and niche orientated can make sales.
• Peak Season - It is a great option if your business owns a trending keyword firing high-value season. Paid traffic if approached strategically and with foresight can maximize your investment exponentially.
Paid Vs Organic Traffic
You don’t put your eggs in one basket of SEO vs PPC — when advertising on the net it’s important to combine both options. It’s important to have a content strategy based on evergreen content, one with cornerstone articles, and with tending pieces. It’s also important to fortify that organic approach with a boost like paid traffic. Both in unison consistently bring in not only traffic but HIGH-QUALITY TRAFFIC.
