Do Organic Search Queries Close More Sales?

Writing by Nick Stamoulis on Monday, 10 of November , 2008 at 3:52 pm

If you do any business online then you are aware of the fact that at least 80% of searchers who type in a search query click on organic searches. But do they close sales?

It really depends on the niche that you are in. Businesses like search engine optimization and Internet marketing services tend to be scrutinized a little more heavily with regard to paid search. If you have to pay for your advertising, some people think, then you can’t be that good at what you do. There is some validity to that. But other businesses actually close more sales using paid search marketing. Still, it costs less to SEO your website and achieve high search engine rankings, and you’ll get more clicks on the listing than you will on PPC.

Let’s put these numbers into perspective.

Let’s say you spend $300 for SEO services that get you top listings in the search engines. You could easily pay $500 per month for the same keywords in a paid search campaign. Or more. Depending on what business you are in. But suppose that $300 per month translates into 1,000 search queries for the keywords that you are targeting. 800 of those click on your organic search listing and 200 on your PPC ad.

Now, let’s say you have a 10% conversion rate on PPC but only a 1% conversion rate on organic search queries. That means you are closing 8 sales each month on organic search queries and 20 sales per month on PPC ads. Now you see why you pay more for those keyword bids. But keep in mind that 8 sales per month on search queries not a bad deal if you make back what you pay to get there. The bottom line is ROI.

Another thing: These numbers will vary from business to business and website to website. Different niches have different standards. Keep an eye on both your organic listings and your PPC ads.

                      Category: Search Marketing