What is Paid Listing?
Paid Listing is the area that is displayed above the organic search results in search engines such as Google. The links with title and meta description are highlighted in color and displayed with the additional word ad. These search results are not natural search results, but paid positions that cost money. The ad appears when searchers enter a specific term, i.e. a keyword, in the search bar. In this case, the advertiser pays for each individual click that is generated via the paid listing. The price for such programs is based on the popularity of the keyword. Google Ads, for example, is a paid listing offer from Google.
Differences between organic search results and paid listings
The evaluation and analysis of pages on the internet and the resulting position in the search results is regulated by an algorithm for organically structured pages. The algorithm evaluates a page based on various criteria and also compares different pages with each other so that users only receive the best possible search results. The organic search results cannot be compared with paid listing ads, as there are only a few quality requirements here. The quality of the content on a page and the added value a website offers to the end user play virtually no role for paid listings. Usually, the website operator who pays the highest price for a certain keyword also receives the highest position in the search results. However, the content of the advertiser is not completely irrelevant, as search engines make sure that the advertised keyword at least matches the content of the website. It can therefore happen that someone secures the best position in the paid listing even though they have not paid the highest amount for the keyword.
What are the advantages of Paid Listing?
Paid listing is a method that can be very worthwhile, especially for new sites. It can take some time before a website is established on the market and optimized for search engines. With paid listing, you can achieve a top position for selected keywords in a very short time and benefit from high traffic. Since the first positions in search results are mostly highly competitive and most visitors don’t even look at the second page, many new customers can be gained with paid listings. Search engine optimizations have no effect on the positions in paid listing and therefore this advertising method can also be considered for new companies that want to dedicate themselves to search engine optimization at a later stage.
What are the disadvantages of Paid Listing?
With paid listings, you have to pay for every click. This is why it is so important that the conversion rate is as high as possible. If a keyword is advertised that does not really match the website’s offer, the costs for the paid listing can quickly exceed the income. For this reason, website operators should think carefully beforehand about which advertising techniques to use and keyword research should also be carried out.
What does Paid Listing cost?
With Paid Listing, website operators have to pay for each individual visitor who reaches the website through the advertisement in the search results. The price is always based on the popularity of the keyword.
