What is organic search?

Organic search results are all unpaid listings that appear on a search engine results page on Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc. The search engine result page is also called SERP. These results are based on different factors such as relevance to the user’s search query, incoming links (also called backlinks), great search engine optimisation (SEO) and the domain authority.

Domain authority is a search engine ranking score that indicates how successful a website is when it comes to the results on search engines. Organic search results are different from paid search results, which are also known as pay-per-click or PPC advertising. You, as a business, can’t buy organic results.

The position of your link on a search results page is important. Depending on the search term, organic search results often make up only a small portion of the page. First, you might find a Rich Snippet and then the ‘People also ask’ section, before you find your first organic search result.

The average web user won’t go past the first five listings on a search engine results page (SERP). According to a 2014 study from Advanced Web Rankings, almost 70% of all clicks on SERPs go to the top five listings.

While a SERP mainly consists of paid and organic results, it can also include various features, such as shopping ads, featured snippets, video results, knowledge graphs and top stories. SERP results can vary by user, even when using the same search query or search engine, as they’re customised based on the individual user, their searcher intent, interests and a lot of ranking factors. 

Want to learn more about search intent and keyword research? Check out the link below.

About organic search

Organic search is when the user enters the question they might have into a search engine and gets suggested results.

Those results are ranked based on the supposed relevance to the user. Search engines insert paid ads into their results and while those ads are influenced by a commercial relationship between the website and the search engine, organic search results have a much higher click-through-rate.

According to an article on yoast.com, organic search results have a much higher click-through rate than advertisements in Google. Organic search actually drives 53% of website traffic, while paid search drives only 27%. That might be because lots of people (25,8%) use ad blockers and don’t even see the ads on Google.

Why is organic search Important?

As mentioned before, organic search results are very important, due to the fact that they have a much higher click-through-rate than paid ads. Organic search results are based on the relevance to the user’s search query and other organic ranking factors. That means that organic search and the focus on higher rankings are more important in the long run than paid advertising. Paid ads will give your business a quick boost but are very cost intensive. Organic search is free and those results are consistent and will last longer than paid ones.

Organic traffic is the first source of visits for most sites and leads to higher conversions and return on investment (ROI).

The following highlights the importance of organic search:

• Offers a competitive advantage. 
• Cost-effective and scalable. 
• Provides long-term results. 

Search Engine Optimisation to improve organic search results

Organic SEO is the method used for getting a higher ranking on a SERP through algorithm-driven results. This type of SEO can be done by analysing and updating a website with relevant content, then spreading that content all over the web. Incorporating organic search engine optimisation also has the following benefits:

• Generates more traffic in the long term as organically optimised websites can remain relevant to the keyword query.
• Builds more trustworthiness. 
• Is more cost-effective in comparison to paid advertising.

Organic search reporting metrics

Without detailed website tracking in place, it can be challenging for a business to discover where and how to increase organic search traffic. In order to measure traffic and get all the information needed, you should use Google Analytics. By incorporating important metrics, a business can get a better understanding of its site performance and boost search engine rankings.

The following are important reporting metrics that a business should track regularly:

• Keyword ranking. 
• Number of visitors. 
• Average page views. 
• Time on page.