Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Test Different Messaging on a Single Search Engine Results Page


It is a long standing debate on whether or not to bid on phrases in pay per click that your website already ranks for organically. One school of thought would ask why someone would pay for clicks on a search engine results page in which their website is already ranking for organically. There are actually several answers to that question, one being that it gives a website the opportunity to use different messaging variations.

Various messaging may be attractive to some people but not others. The messaging/offer included in your organic search listing may attract clicks from some users, but not others. Additionally, you do not have complete control over the messaging that is displayed in your organic listing. Adding a paid listing with a different message or a specific offer can appeal to an additional cross-section of searchers. You also have much more control over what is displayed in a pay per click listing than what is displayed in an organic listing.