Call me a nerd, but I think that Google Think Insights is pretty darn cool. I came across a research study that detailed how searchers respond to brands present in paid and organic results as opposed to just paid or organic search results.
Often times we get the question, “Should I invest in Pay Per Click or Search Engine Optimization?” from clients, prospective clients, inquirers, passersby, and next door neighbors (ok, maybe not your next door neighbor!). In most – if not all – cases we recommended a combination of both PPC and SEO. We can’t help it! PPC is instantaneous. We want our clients to be an option out of the gate, while we help them build their organic presence!
Many business owners understand the importance of being one of the top organic search results in Google by now. Unfortunately, some business owners overlook the advantage of being both a paid and organic option. At Clix, we use analogies to make sense of EVERYTHING. In this case, would you rather throw one hook in the water or two or more hooks?
According to Google Think Insights, having both an organic and paid presence can dramatically improve your site’s traffic and CTR. In 2011, Google conducted an experiment and paused search ads on over 400 Adwords accounts in four different countries. Their findings were significant.
Google discovered that 89% of ad clicks were incremental to clicks on organic search results. This means that these organic visits would not have happened without the company investing in PPC and being a sponsored result. Simply, organic clicks would not have made up for the absence of paid clicks.
Below is a Google infographic that illustrates their results:
