What Is Paid Search? Paid Search vs Organic Search

Paid search (Search engine advertising or PPC) is a form of online advertising in which advertisers pay to have ads displayed in search results. Ads appear based on relevant keywords the user types. Paid search increases traffic and the chance of converting customers. Businesses can also control their budget and pay only when a user clicks the ad. Let's MONA Media learn more about what paid search is in this article.

What is the concept of paid search?

Illustration of paid search

Definition of Paid Search

Paid Search is paid search, a digital marketing strategy where you pay search engines to get a higher position for your website (landing page) on Google. The goal is to drive traffic to your website.

What makes up Paid Search?

Now that you know what paid search is, MONA will next introduce the elements that make up good paid search.

Choosing and bidding on keywords

First, a business “bids” on phrases or keywords closely related to its company, products or services. The highest bidders will be placed at the top (position 1) of the search results page.

Extending ad extensions

At this step, the business attaches a phone number and links from other websites to send users to the business's website or landing page. Note that the ad's position in search results can be affected by ad extensions.

Finding the quality score and landing page

Google then runs a process to determine the quality score (Quality Score) of the ad the business has posted. It also evaluates how useful and relevant the website is.

Choosing keywords

The choice of keywords keywords in ads and how often they are used can directly affect the website's ranking on the search platform.

When you choose and use keywords accurately and relevant to your website's content, it can help improve the site's ranking (known as being “On Top”). Keywords used frequently in a page's title, description and content help search engines understand the page better and link it to relevant search results.

When it comes to finding customers on Google, businesses often hesitate between Paid Search (paid ads) and Organic Search (SEO). Paid Search gives fast results, while SEO delivers long-term results at a lower cost. MONA has applied SEO since 2018-2019 and keeps 70+ leads per day without spending on ads. This shows SEO not only attracts customers who genuinely need your service, but also reduces junk leads from paid ads. Watch the video below to see more of the benefits SEO brings.

What role does Paid Search play in digital marketing?

Below are 3 important roles of Paid Search in digital marketing that you should know. Don't miss them!

Reach customers quickly

With the advantage of showing at the top of search engines (SERP), the chance that potential customers see your website and click through is very high. That is why Paid Search suits new websites, or sites with limited competitiveness against older websites that already have a high-authority domain.

When you use Paid Search skillfully, your website can reach customers and get them to click and learn about you quickly.

Influence consumers' buying decisions

Users generally don't like seeing ads or being pushed to buy passively. With paid search, though, when customers click on advertised results, most of them already intend to buy.

These are very promising audiences with a high chance of becoming real customers. So when you use Paid Search results, you can trust that users are not only visiting your website to look around but also intend to buy online.

Increase brand recognition

Users can see that you are paying for a good position in search results. However, this does not hurt your brand. Search engines set many standards for ranking paid ads. This is to make sure the results shown to users come from transparent, reputable and trustworthy websites.

In addition, for brands that need more influence, Paid Search is a strategy to roll out in digital marketing, to quickly take the best position and build a strong presence on search engines.

Differences between Paid Search and Organic Search

Paid Search and Organic Search are both popular marketing strategies today. However, the two are completely different. Let's compare with MONA the differences between Organic Search and Paid Search in the content below.

For Paid Search:

• Results are immediate but cost money
• Works on a keyword auction principle
• Brings the business ROI (Return On Investment) cao
• Provides a wide range of SEO keyword data
• Can attract searchers who are ready to buy
• Doesn't need a huge budget
• Can support other marketing channels

In Organic Search:

• Completely free
• Runs on search engine ranking algorithms
• More traffic, customers and revenue for the business
• Raises brand recognition, with lasting results
• Provides a lot of actionable data
• Appeals to potential customers

Many of you ask Huy: should we use GA or GSC to track an SEO project? Huy says it straight: you need both! In the video, Huy shares how to combine data from both for a full view of the whole project. Watch with Huy!

Common Paid Search terms

Now that you know what Paid Search is and how Organic Search and Paid Search differ, in the final part MONA will cover some common terms related to Paid Search.

CPC

CPC hay Cost Per Click is the cost you must pay each time a user clicks your ad. It applies to Paid Search ads and to display ads on advertising platforms such as GDN (Google Display Network) and Google Shopping.

CPM

CPM (Cost Per Mile) stands for the cost per thousand ad impressions. Unlike CPC, the CPM model prices ads by the number of impressions (counted in thousands) regardless of actual clicks. This model usually suits companies that want to raise brand awareness rather than generate direct sales.

PPC

PPC stands for Pay Per Click is the most popular search engine advertising model, often used to refer to paid advertising in general. PPC is used very widely on every online platform, including social networks (Facebook, Instagram,…) and other websites.

The main purpose of PPC is to raise brand recognition and turn potential customers into buyers of the business's products and services. The term PPC is closely related to CPC, so they are easily confused; read carefully and tell them apart.

PLA

When you want to buy a product (say, a bottle of shower gel), typing it into the search bar brings up a list of shower gel products. In digital marketing, this form is called PLA (Product Listing Ads), which in simple terms is a type of image ad that appears when users search for a product in the search bar. The aim is to give users more choices for the same product or service.

SEM

This is an abbreviation of Search Engine Marketing, meaning the combination of SEO and PPC. The result is a form of marketing that is both professional and able to optimize across all search engines. When SEM is done properly, your business website is likely to reach a high ranking in Google's search results.

If you are also looking for a form of marketing that “brings in customers” and converts well while keeping costs optimized? MONA Media will offer a solution with SEO services one of today's leading services. With more than 10 years of experience in digital marketing, success with every keyword in every SEO field is “ON TOP”. MONA is confident in being keyword SEO service company to roll out every project with a surge of leads through a SEO strategy highly structured process.

When you choose full-scope SEO at MONA Media, you get:

• An experienced, dedicated team of SEO experts
• A plan for keyword and competitor research
• A website SEO process suited to each stage of the project
• Marketing strategy integrated and tailored to each client
• A commitment on “output” to build full trust

And many more benefits when you do SEO with MONA. Don't wait, contact us via HOTLINE 1900 636 648 for detailed advice and a quote!

That is an overview of What is Paid Search that MONA Media wants to share with you, especially if you work in marketing or manage and run a business website. We hope you've gained new knowledge you can use in practice.