In today’s tech-savvy world, most individuals go looking for answers and solutions on the internet. There is a veritable wealth of information available to internet users that is simply impossible to easily access anywhere else, making it the most attractive place to look. In the vast majority of cases, these users don’t know specifically where their answers or solutions will come from (as in which website or websites to go to), and so they rely heavily on search engine results to make their decision about what to click on. These search engine results are composed of two different things–organic search results and paid search results.
The Value in Organic Search Results
When a query is typed into a search engine, a list of links will appear. At the very top of this list, there may be a few paid advertisements, while below that is the organic search results. While paid advertisements certainly have many wonderful benefits, including presenting a business with the opportunity to show up at the top of and outrank competitors on the first page of search results, they do require a financial investment. Furthermore, some users do become aware of the fact that these paid advertisements are exactly that, and may therefore not be exactly what they really need or want. On the flip side, organic search results may not always show up at the top of the first page and they do require a time investment, but they can also bring a lot of value to a business, especially among users who recognize that they had to work very hard to get there.
While paid results can appear at the top of a search result page based on keywords alone, organic results appear based on both the quality and the content of that web page. This can greatly increase their value because users come to learn that organic results are more likely to accurately and fully address their query, especially on a highly respected, trusted, and used search engine like Google. In fact, Google is so exact and picky in how they rank their organic search results that users can be assured that the top five Google results for a specific query are very high-quality content pieces. A business may find that it takes a lot of time and effort to move up in Google’s rankings, but the high ranking status one achieves can be maintained, allowing the business to continue to reap the benefits for a while. After all, few users ever travel past the first page of search engine results, and many users will click the first organic search result link they are presented with.
Boosting Organic Search Results
There was once a time when ranking well on organic search results, even on Google, was fairly easy to achieve. A business might have only needed to create a few web content articles that contained the right keywords in order to occupy the top search result spots for these keyword queries. Before businesses understood the intrinsic value of online reputation management and marketing, few businesses maintained websites. This means that there simply wasn’t that much competition for the top rankings of organic search engine results. Today, however, most businesses recognize the critical importance of establishing and maintaining a website filled with high-quality, effective content that drives up their search engine optimization. Perhaps even more importantly, Google and other search engines have refined their rules regarding web content, punishing keyword stuffing and other sneaky or even illegal SEO “tricks.” This means that web content must truly be recognized as effective and high-quality in order to rank well and bring value to the business. So how can effective, high-quality web content that boosts organic search results be created? Consider the following points:
- Understand who your target audience is and what their needs are. You need to understand exactly what your target audience will be typing into the search engine query box if you hope to reach out and attract their attention.
- Create content that provides the desired answers and solutions, and therefore has value. This type of content is more likely to rank well on Google, and when clicked upon is more likely to be scanned, read, and then shared.
- Continue to create more and more high-quality content, while focusing on engaging readers and building trust, rather than trying to sell products or services. Consumers today are wary of hard-sell tactics and are more likely to form a trusting, long-term relationship with a business that they feel is more concerned about their needs and desires.
You may find that paid advertisements can initially help to draw users in more quickly, but there is enough long-term and stable value in generating organic search results that it should not be abandoned or ignored.
