SEO (Search Engine Optimization: organic) and SEM (Search Engine Marketing: paid) are two techniques utilized in digital strategy to get a company’s website to the first page of a search. The majority of internet users do not venture to the second or third pages when performing a search. Therefore, getting your practice’s site to the first page and making your presence known is vital to drawing in potential new patients.
Let’s delve deeper into the difference between the two:
Organic Search
Organic search is what happens when search engine “spiders” crawl websites and provide you with what they deem to be most relevant to your keywords or phrase. When a query is entered, the crawlers seek out text, captions and metadata of sites that most closely match. For example, a search for “Manhattan Dermatologist” will undoubtedly yield many organic results. The results that make it to the first page will mainly be determined by strategic keyword usage, fast loading time of pages, high number of site visits, and quality content.
Here are some of the reasons why you want your practice to snag a spot on the first page:
- Ranking: Once you make it to the first page, it is much easier to stay there. The sense of authority has already been established. So keep pushing! The payoff is worth the work.
- Credibility: Being on the front page of search results shows someone that other people are visiting your site and interacting your practice. This sense of familiarity and being “vouched” for promotes trust and increases the chances of the link to your site being clicked on.
- Content: Every website needs content. Period. Your content library should be a mix of timely and evergreen pieces. Timely pieces are great for seasonal or current topics and evergreen is for more broad topics. The evergreen content is more likely to attract people to your site (as it is so broad and more likely to be searched for). Additionally, evergreen pieces can be recycled sparingly.
- Site Visits: The more people come to your site and click through your pages, the higher you will be ranked. The higher you are ranked, the more likely it is that someone will visit your site. It’s the gift that keeps on giving!
The process of getting to the front page of an organic search is not an overnight occurrence. The competition, especially in larger cities, is plentiful. Seeing improvement in your practice’s website ranking can often take weeks or months but the investment is so very worth it. Snagging a high organic position can establish your practice as a leader in the industry.
Paid Search
Paid search refers to advertisements that a business pays for based on a specific set of strategic keywords. For example, that Manhattan dermatologist may create ads set to appear when “Manhattan dermatologist,” “NYC dermatologist,” or “acne help NYC” are search for. Paid search ads are listed above all organic results and are marked with “AD” in a green rectangle. Search engine ads are a worthwhile investment because of their automatic positioning – people will click on the first relevant thing that they see. Your site visit and click through rates will increase and, therefore, benefit the organic rankings of your site. Are paid search ads mandatory for your digital strategy? Not necessarily. However, ads can often work in sweet, sweet harmony with your organic results to boost your site’s SEO and your practice’s overall presence.
Here are the pros of paying for search engine ads:
- Site visits: Paid search ads get your website noticed by potential patients before everyone else. This ups your chances of someone visiting your site, liking your practice and then coming on as a new patient (bringing more business your way!).
- Turnaround: As stated before, getting a site to the first page of a search can take months to achieve. Ads are instantaneous. As soon as you finish setup and payment, your ads are ready to be found in searches!
- Target: Paid ads have the advantage of targeting whomever your audience (or desired audience) may be. You can choose to reach people based on categories such as location, age, income, marital status, income or career field. Targeting lets you hone in on those who are most likely to have an interest in your business.
If you have the budget and manpower, utilizing both organic and paid search practices in your digital strategy is ideal. Organic search results give the authority and credibility that your practice needs to draw in new patients. Paid search results provide the immediate satisfaction of getting your website in front of the people who you consider most relevant and important. It is possible for one to work without the other and still build up great SEO. However, when both strategies come together, the results for your practice will be amplified.
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