Search Engine Advertising (SEA) and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) are two of the main pillars of your digital marketing strategy. However, far too often we see that these two do not work together in the process towards higher growth rates. There are many overlooked benefits to creating synergy between organic and paid results in search engines. In this post, I will highlight some of these opportunities, as well as general considerations on how to merge SEA and SEO more effectively.
Basics of SEA & SEO
To clarify the basics, SEA refers to your paid search results, while your SEO efforts are shown via organic results over time, as illustrated here:
This example is very straightforward, as it is a brand search, which means you MUST appear at the top in both – it is simply included to show the difference.
Your organic results theoretically cost nothing, and how highly Google chooses to rank your page depends – in short – on their assessment of the page’s relevance to the user’s search. It can therefore take a relatively long time to build the quality needed before Google prioritises your result highly in the SERP (Search Engine Results Page).
SEA consists of your paid results, where you can quickly generate traffic on carefully selected keywords. This is set up in Google Ads, where you pay Google a cost per click to be shown. This cost per click can vary greatly, as it depends on many factors.
Why is synergy between SEO and SEA so important?
Both channels are built on very different terms, and depending on the business, they may also be managed by different people who are experts in their respective areas. However, the fact is that you can benefit greatly from having knowledge of both.
Google has an important parameter that has a major impact on the performance of both channels – relevance. To achieve the best possible performance, your result must be relevant to the user, both through SEO and SEA. Therefore, there are insights from both areas that can help you optimise both your paid and organic search.
As a SEA expert, it is important to have insight into landing pages and the keywords and phrases that generate organic traffic, as this can help you build better relevance in your paid ads. At the same time, there are advantages in the other direction. Through Google Ads, you can see specific figures for keywords and ad phrases that convert well, which you can then use in SEO.
By being visible both organically and through paid search, you achieve a greater effect compared to only being visible in one area. Firstly, you take up more space in the results, but also due to this visibility, users get confirmation that your brand name is represented multiple times – which makes them more likely to view your site as the right place to visit. For example, see this example for an iPhone case:
You can also read more about how to dominate the search results here: How to get your Google Ads ad to the top
Google Ads quality score
When you add keywords to your campaigns in Google Ads, each keyword will have a quality score, which defines how relevant your ad is for the keyword you want to be found on. The quality score has a significant impact on the price you end up paying for your clicks. This score is defined by three parameters:
- Expected CTR
- Landing page experience
- Ad relevance
In relation to SEO, it is particularly with the landing page experience that you can create better synergy between the organic and paid. As with SEO, the landing page experience is evaluated on content, text, speed and more. In this way, your SEO efforts can help reduce the cost of Google Ads.
You may be wondering how much influence the quality score has on the price?
The closest we get to an answer regarding savings on the quality score looks like this:
The green numbers in the illustration above are savings on your cost per click, while the black numbers are the percentage increase in your cost per click. Your quality score should therefore be as high as possible, which, as described, is assessed on the three parameters: expected CTR, landing page experience and ad relevance.
These rates should be read with some reservations, as later emerged in this study – you can read more about that HERE
If you would like to know a bit more about what is behind the quality score, you can read these two excellent posts from my colleagues:
Analyse and identify the gaps in your SEA and SEO synergy
Now you know the importance of synergy between SEA and SEO. The next step is to find out where there are shortcomings and where there is room for optimisation. This is a relatively simple process, as Google already stores this data for you.
You can export data from your Google Ads account, where you can see which keywords you are prominent on organically, through paid search, and where you appear in both. You just need to have linked Google Search Console to your account. Below is a step-by-step guide on how to do this:
1. Log in to your Google Ads account
2. Go to Reports > Predefined reports > Basic > Paid & organic search report
3. Select the period you want to work with and download the Excel file
4. Open the file in Excel, select all data and create a pivot table
- Click OK to the default settings
5. Fill out your table as follows:
6. You will now have the following setup:
Here you can sort the setup yourself, so it becomes clearer, etc.
You can now see at campaign level where you get impressions on both paid and organic search, where you are only paid, and where you are only organic. In this way, you can identify which keywords you need to optimise to maintain and improve the synergy between your SEA and SEO efforts.
You might think it is not necessary to pay to appear for a keyword if you already have a good organic position. But – it is not a good idea to turn off your Google Ads campaigns, as you will lose the visibility and the effect of appearing in as many positions as possible and therefore take up more space in the search results. Alternatively, you can try to lower your bids slightly for keywords where you have a top ranking, so you still have two listings, but not necessarily at the very top with the paid result. This of course depends on your budget, your competitors and your goals in the market.
Summary
There are some simple things you can do to make paid and organic search work better together. Start with the basics and create an overlap on the keywords where you see gaps or potential. Then, delve deeper into the synergy, which over time will give you a higher CTR, lower cost per click, strengthen your SEO and most likely improve your conversion rate.
If you have any questions about the impact of this, or need assistance, you are always welcome to send us a message or call – contact WeMarket here!
