What is the Difference Between Organic and Paid Search Results?
The American Bar Association (ABA) cites survey data showing that the internet is the most common way for people/businesses to find and research lawyers and law firms. If your legal practice ranks higher in search results, it is more likely to be seen by potential clients. Organic results are earned through search engine optimization (SEO) and reflect a website’s relevance and authority. On the other hand, paid search results are advertisements purchased through platforms like Google Ads. Here, our legal marketing team explains the difference between organic search results and paid search results.
Understanding the Differences Between Organic Search Results and Paid Search Results
Difference #1: The Cost of Search Results
For obvious reasons, paid search results are not free. Ranking high because of paid placement with Google Ads requires a continuous financial investment. That is not to say that is a bad strategy. Quite the contrary, many lawyers and law firms pay each time a user clicks on their ad through a model known as pay-per-click (PPC). The cost of each click depends on the competitiveness of the keyword being targeted, and legal industry terms are often among the most expensive.
Still, this stands in direct contrast to organic search traffic. While it can take resources to build on your website to get it to rank well in search results, through content creation, backlink building, on-page SEO, etc., organic search is free at the point of engagement. For that reason, organic search has the potential to bring your law firm visibility and cost-effective results.
Difference #2: How Your Firm Actually Appears in Search Results
The most visible distinction between organic and paid search results is their placement and labeling on the search engine results page (SERP). Paid results typically appear at the very top and bottom of the page and are marked with an “Ad” or “Sponsored” label to distinguish them from unpaid listings.
Organic results, on the other hand, are displayed in the main body of the page based on relevance, content quality, and website authority as determined by the search engine’s algorithm. While users often trust organic results more due to their perceived neutrality, paid results are still valuable.
Difference #3: User Perception and Click Behavior
Both paid search and organic search can absolutely work as a client acquisition strategy for a law firm. With that being said, user behavior often differs depending on whether search results are paid or organic. Indeed, studies consistently show that users tend to click on organic results more frequently than paid ads, especially for informational or research-based queries. However, a person who is highly motivated to hire a lawyer quickly may respond very well to a paid search ad. Still, organic listings are often perceived as more trustworthy since they are ranked based on merit, not payment.
The Bottom Line: A well-rounded marketing strategy for law firms often involves both paid and organic search efforts.
We are Leaders in Digital Marketing for Attorneys and Law Firms
At Fuel Web Marketing, we are committed to driving cost-effective results for lawyers and law firms. We have experience with both organic search results and paid search results. If you have questions about your options, please do not hesitate to contact us now for a confidential consultation.