I was recently asked why search engine optimization (SEO) is so important for a website and online business.
Good question!
When you hear people in the business speak about natural search or organic search results, they are talking about the website listings that show up in the non-paid area of your result pages.
Paid advertising, sponsored ads, PPC (pay-per-click) refers to ads you can purchase/bid for placement and are displayed around your page (top, right, bottom) *format & positions vary depending on search engine.
Search engine optimization is the art and science of tuning your site for maximum exposure in the non-paid area for your key search terms - and optimally, on page #1 of the search engine results pages.
Once a search engine visitor types a query into the search box and receives results, findings have shown that:
- Natural Search receives 250% more traffic than the paid search.
- Natural search converts 30% higher than PPC
- 1st Page on SERPs gets at least 80% of the clicks
- 2nd page on SERPs gets much less at about 10% of the clicks
It is widely known that the SERPs have a higher credibility factor, and as shown on the picture below (courtesy Eyetools), subjects tend to view data on a page in an “F-shaped” fashion, top-left and staggered downward and to the right. This area has been referred to as the Golden Triangle, since being shown here for your key terms is the most trusted, and collects the highest and best action & conversion.
Explanations of HeatMap:
Red/Orange color: all subjects halted their gaze at this part of the page
Yellow color: More than half of all subjects halted their gaze here
Purple X: Shows a mouse click
Dotted line: Shows where computer breaks on the PC screen (”fold”)
Red lines: How far subjects scrolled down before leaving the page
In the next post, I’ll show you why content on your page is so important, and what the difference between what the human and non-human visitors sees. It’ll blow you away! 
4 Responses to “Why Does SEO Really Matter?”
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ULTIMATE Guide to Search Engine Optimization
June 19th, 2007 at 8:33 am
I am an Internet writer/editor, and your post caught my eye. I was wondering if you could let me know the source of the findings which show that:
–Natural Search receives 250% more traffic than the paid search.
–Natural search converts 30% higher than PPC
Thanks!
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June 19th, 2007 at 5:44 pm
Hi, Claudia:
The results came from online marketing studies done back in Fall of last year. They were based on surveys from a 1,000 sites using the urchin (tracking) software, and presented via convertlinks.com.
It’s often about purpose, marketplace specifics, goals, how and what asked when studies like these are done.
Another source for this type of information is the MarketingSherpa website.
They performed a survey on paid vs. natural conversion metrics back in August 2006, using a different methodology, and pulled via invitations from its reader lists.
Their reports show different numbers, and yield a closer (+/-) proximity to paid search, depending on campaign goals. (www.sherpastore.com).
What have your own tests shown?
June 20th, 2007 at 1:54 am
It’s an interesting introductory post, and you do mention traffic and conversions - which is good.
Personally I would have thought to sell SEO as a concept you would need to sell search engines as marketshare of interest use, and therefore show something of their dominance in terms of anchoring the user experience of the web.
But that’s just my opinionated 2c - the UK still doesn’t “get” the net very much, let alone SEO.
June 21st, 2007 at 10:34 am
Hi Jon,
I haven’t conducted any tests because I’m a writer, not a practitioner. However, I had the MarketingSherpa stats in mind, which show organic and paid conversions neck and neck (3.92% natural and 4.19% paid). But I suppose wide variations can be due to the different methodologies used in various studies. I liked the stats you quoted better.