With PPC, brands bid on search terms called 'keywords'. When users type these words into a search engine, it will display a link to that brand. The brand only pays for keywords if a user clicks on the link. The more an advertiser is prepared to bid, the higher their link appears in the listing.
The other type of search is natural search optimisation (NSO), where a brand designs its website to get the best ranking in the natural search results page when a user types in a keyword. This is done by satisfying criteria set by individual search engines.
Natural search is more challenging than PPC because you cannot pay for a good position in the rankings. But as PPC becomes expensive as its popularity grows, brands are investing more in natural search. While NSO and PPC each have their own benefits, combining the two generates the best results.
1. Many brands believe that if they are high up in the natural search listings, they don't have to bid for these keywords on the PPC listings. This is a mistake, says Dixon Jones, managing director of consultancy Receptional. "You should be using both at the same time, as you want to be high in each listing. It takes away space for a competitor and gives people a second opportunity to see you," he says.
2. The copy used in your PPC and NSO links should complement each other. Research from i-level shows that customers are more likely to click on natural search listings when they are looking around for a product and on paid search listings when they are ready to buy. "Therefore, the ad copy for paid search can be more acquisition-focused, while the copy in the natural search listings should be more descriptive and geared towards research," says Jenny Kirby, search director, i-level.
3. PPC is often favoured by advertisers because it garners quick, controllable results and the process is more transparent than NSO. However, savvy brands are realising they can use their PPC campaigns to test and hone their keyword strategy for NSO too. Andrew Girdwood, head of search at Bigmouthmedia, says: "Communication between the two channels is vital. If it's clear several terms are driving great PPC results, you should leverage this for the benefit of your NSO campaign, so you can also show up well on the same terms. Equally, if certain phrases are under-performing in the natural listings, you can make sure you have solid PPC coverage specifically on these terms."
4. Don't forget branding. When search burst onto the scene it was seen as a tactical, sales-led channel focused on promotional offers, with little room for branding messages. That is changing. Search engines are displaying results on brand searches differently, prioritising a mix of images, news and footage. Brands should try to dominate the first page of the search results with self-generated information. From an NSO stance, they should ensure they have a good system for distributing press releases and are represented on popular websites. On the PPC side, brands can fill in a Digital Millennium Copyright Act on Google to stop others bidding on their brand name.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR ...
BRANDS
Brands must think of search holistically, rather than as natural or paid search. Some say that clients should look at NSO and PPC as one cost centre, rather than work out the cost of acquiring a customer by each channel. PPC and NSO are interdependent and brands should think of the entire customer journey, rather than simply measuring the final click-through on a link.
AGENCIES
Traditionally, agencies have specialised in either PPC or NSO, although some claim to offer both. To achieve the best results for clients, PPC and NSO agencies will have to communicate regularly and volunteer information, such as which keywords are proving successful or unsuccessful, which might have been deemed sensitive in the past.