How PPC Indirectly Affects Organic Search

There are some SEOs and business owners out there who believe if they spend more on paid advertising, their organic search results will get a boost. They start to believe this theory when they increase their PPC spending and see their organic listing go up one or two positions.

Sadly, we are not here to tell you that spending more on paid search will increase your organic search position. The above instance could have happened for a multitude of reasons. While we can never be sure which factor gave the organic listing a boost, we do know for a fact that Google keeps it’s paid and organic search algorithms very separate.

As an internet marketing company, what we’re saying is do not go pay for advertising and expect to see a boost in your organic search as a direct result.

That being said, there are some ways that people interact with your paid campaign which can indirectly lead to increased organic traffic for your website. That’s what we’ll talk about today.

Brand Exposure Increases Web Traffic

One reason businesses use paid advertising is to increase brand awareness. These campaigns are not meant to drive sales but rather to increase brand awareness. The more a person is exposed to a brand, the more likely he is to recall the brand at the time he’s ready to make a purchase.

This affects organic traffic in a couple of ways. The first way is that if a person has seen a paid ad for a shoe company a few times, he is more likely to click on that company’s organic listing when he starts to research new shoes to buy. The increased number of clicks can contribute to a boost in your organic search ranking.

The second way brand exposure through PPC can affect your organic traffic is because those who have been exposed to your brand more are more likely to click through on your ads, engage with your material, and convert into sales. The increased engagement and conversion on your website signals to Google you have relevant and engaging material for its users which increases your organic ranking.

More Clicks, More Mentions

While the goal of many ads is to make a sale, there can be times where those chances for a sale turn into chances to get covered somewhere else. For example, someone might click through on your ad because it’s relevant for what they’re searching at the time. The person might explore your products and decide it’s a pretty cool site. From there, they might mention your brand or even link to it for something they’re doing. Those mentions and backlinks can help boost your organic rankings. To increase the likelihood this will happen for your business, take the time to build a beautiful website and create engaging content that people will want to share.

Final Thoughts

While there’s no guarantee using PPC will increase your organic search results, there is some reassuring evidence that it can sometimes help. The overall point is to use PPC in a smart way to create awareness about your business or drive sales. If executed well, those activities will likely result in a boost in organic search. Just remember, adding value at the right moment, whether it’s PPC or organic, is what will ultimately help you rank higher on the SERP. For more information on how to execute a successful PPC campaign, download our free PPC eBook.