Tag Archive for: Google Search Updates

Which is Better: Paid or Organic Search?

/in , , /by

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ border_style=”solid”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” center_content=”no” last=”no” min_height=”” hover_type=”none” link=””][fusion_text]

Digital marketers have long debated these two search channels in an effort to once and for all prove one as the true victor when it comes to measurable results. However, this comparison is not as simple as it seems. Much like comparing apples to oranges, these two channels are incredibly different from one another.

Organic:

Organic search results typically have a much higher conversion rate, and higher key metrics in general, associated with them when compared to paid search results. Organic results are also 100% free, and who doesn’t love free advertising? At a glance, these well performing statistics may suggest that organic is a better channel than search, but that is not necessarily the case.

 

Paid:

The paid search channel is always the first listed when a consumer conducts a Google search. Google also continues to improve upon its search by providing an obvious preference to paid advertisements rather than organic listings. This was made clear last year when the search giant added a fourth paid advertisement listing in every query. Unfortunately, these prime positions come at a price.

 

Despite the cost associated with paid listings, many advertisers utilize them to gain the most recognition from a potential customer. This form of advertising is most helpful for companies that are trying to gain awareness of their brand.

 

Conclusion:

There is no clear and definite winner. Paid and organic search channels each have their own unique strengths and weaknesses, but to only choose one of them in any marketing strategy is a weakness in itself. Digital marketers need to realize the full potential of every marketing opportunity and what they mean collectively for the company’s success.

 

If your business is limiting itself in its number of channels, then there is no doubt that it is also limiting itself in the number of potential customers it can reach. The key to the relationship between paid and organic search is that they are best when implemented together.

[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

How Google Search is Helping Users Easily Access Content on Mobile

/in /by

In Google Search, their goal is to help users quickly find the best answers to their questions, regardless of the device they’re using. Today, they’re announcing two upcoming changes to mobile search results that make finding content easier for users.

Simplifying mobile search results

Two years ago, they added a mobile-friendly label to help users find pages where the text and content was readable without zooming and the tap targets were appropriately spaced. Since then, they’ve seen the ecosystem evolve and they recently found that 85% of all pages in the mobile search results now meet this criteria and show the mobile-friendly label. To keep search results uncluttered, they’ll be removing the label, although the mobile-friendly criteria will continue to be a ranking signal. Google said “We’ll continue providing the mobile usability report in Search Console and the mobile-friendly test to help webmasters evaluate the effect of the mobile-friendly signal on their pages.”

Helping users find the content they’re looking for

Although the majority of pages now have text and content on the page that is readable without zooming, Google recently seen many examples where these pages show intrusive interstitials to users. While the underlying content is present on the page and available to be indexed by Google, content may be visually obscured by an interstitial. This can frustrate users because they are unable to easily access the content that they were expecting when they tapped on the search result.

Pages that show intrusive interstitials provide a poorer experience to users than other pages where content is immediately accessible. This can be problematic on mobile devices where screens are often smaller. To improve the mobile search experience, after January 10, 2017, pages where content is not easily accessible to a user on the transition from the mobile search results may not rank as highly.

Here are some examples of techniques that make content less accessible to a user:

  • Showing a popup that covers the main content, either immediately after the user navigates to a page from the search results, or while they are looking through the page.
  • Displaying a standalone interstitial that the user has to dismiss before accessing the main content.
  • Using a layout where the above-the-fold portion of the page appears similar to a standalone interstitial, but the original content has been inlined underneath the fold.

Examples of interstitials that make content less accessible


An example of an intrusive popup

An example of an intrusive standalone interstitial

Another example of an intrusive standalone interstitial

 

By contrast, here are some examples of techniques that, used responsibly, would not be affected by the new signal:

  • Interstitials that appear to be in response to a legal obligation, such as for cookie usage or for age verification.
  • Login dialogs on sites where content is not publicly indexable. For example, this would include private content such as email or unindexable content that is behind a paywall.
  • Banners that use a reasonable amount of screen space and are easily dismissible. For example, the app install banners provided by Safari and Chrome are examples of banners that use a reasonable amount of screen space.

Examples of interstitials that would not be affected by the new signal, if used responsibly


An example of an interstitial for cookie usage

An example of an interstitial for age verification

An example of a banner that uses a reasonable amount of screen space

 

Google previously explored a signal that checked for interstitials that ask a user to install a mobile app. As they continued our development efforts, they saw the need to broaden our focus to interstitials more generally. Accordingly, to avoid duplication in our signals, Google removed the check for app-install interstitials from the mobile-friendly test and have incorporated it into this new signal in Search.

Remember, this new signal is just one of hundreds of signals that are used in ranking. The intent of the search query is still a very strong signal, so a page may still rank highly if it has great, relevant content.

 

 

H/T: Google Webmaster