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The issue of visibility
These two methods for acquiring traffic have often been considered as “enemies”, whereas they are actually complementary.
In this case, we will be highlighting the synergy between SEO and SEA (PPC) in search results pages. We will see, step by step, how Myposeo Insights can increase your performance and maximise your ROI by combining data collected using the two methods.
The issue with SEO and PPC presence is how to stand out in searches that lead to numerous types of results and can be competitive.
The follow graphic depicts the relative CTR (Click Through Rates) for paid and organic results. We wanted to know which type of results got more clicks. Studies indicate that the click rate on unpaid search results decreases by 15% when AdWords is used.
The issue with SEO and PPC presence is how to stand out in searches that lead to numerous types of results and can be competitive.
By analysing the situation a bit more, we were able to conclude that the click rate changes based on the number of ads. The more paid ads there are, the more the click rate on organic results will decrease. When AdWords is not present, the rate is 35%, whereas with the presence of 3 ads it decreases to 15%. The study does not include data on what happens if there is a fourth ad. We can deduce that the SEO click rate decreased. Other analyses, however, cast some doubt on these statistics, asserting that the click rate remains unchanged in certain sectors.
A study done by searchforsites in 2015 shows the effect of universal search elements on click rate. The more choices there are on the results page, the more likely it is that the user will not click on the first result found through SEO or PPC.
The second graphic shows the effect of the number of universal search elements on the click rate for other types of results. It can lead to a decrease of 15% in click rate on SEO or PPC results.
In terms of SEO, the focus is often on ranking, which is an error. For some competitive searches, the first organic result can often be ranked below the fold due to the presence of AdWords and “universal search”-type results. We consider the fold to be on average at 900px from the top of the page.
An example is the search “cheap men’s shoes”. In this precise case, having a good SEO ranking isn’t enough. You must aim for dual positioning by purchasing the keyword through AdWords.
You might also be wondering whether the click rate differs from mobile to desktop. According to studies, the click rate for the top SEO result seems to be essentially the same on both devices. However, for some searches, as phone screens are smaller, organic search results might be completely hidden due to AdWords ads located at the top of the SERP. AdWords ads are often enhanced by reviews and site links that take up more and more space.
While you might be able to ignore AdWords for desktops, it is impossible to ignore for mobile devices.
Among experts, we often refer to AdWords’ “cannabalisation” of organic results. Might AdWords ads attract traffic we could have gotten for free through SEO? This brings several questions to mind:
Is it necessary to buy keywords for which you are already well positioned in terms of SEO? Is it worthwhile to buy the name of your own brand on AdWords when you’re already the first organic search result?
Is dual positioning necessary in order to remain visible?
We will demonstrate how Myposeo Insights can help guide your SEO/PPC strategy.
As an example, we will consider one of the few studies to be done on dual positioning, from 2011. But look out! This study is out of date, and moreover, was done by Google. Naturally, the study says that “dual positioning” gets you more clicks.
Our “Myposeo Insights” solution lets you track your SEO and AdWords keywords. By default, with SEO tracking, keywords are queried daily, which is crucial when you are ranked on high-traffic keywords. For PPC tracking, the tool checks the Ads ranking on the first page 6 times per day (every 4 hours.) This is due to the fact that AdWords results are much more changeable than organic search results. An average total visibility for the day is then calculated.
In order to get combined tracking data and an idea of the dual visibility for a site, you must use the same keywords in the SEO and PPC tracking tools. The two tools are kept separate because of the frequency and the different keywords collected. For both techniques, the tool compares the attendance rate, estimates the click rate and evaluates the search volume for the keywords. Using these indicators, the tool can then estimate the traffic generated by each of the keywords using SEO and AdWords.
By combining the data, the tool provides an overview of your visibility, namely the number of keywords present on the first page, the ranking of the tracked keywords in SEO & PPC and the keywords that benefit from dual positioning. They also display those that are not ranked.
The tool gives you insight into your competition, in terms of both SEO and PPC. It is a competitive analysis of SEM. Next, you can compare the keywords between your site and those of your competitors and see which ones you have in common in both contexts.
In this example, using nike.com, we are tracking 392 keywords in both AdWords and SEO. In terms of SEO, the average position is 3.8 and the estimated traffic is 66,570. For AdWords, Nike has bought 268 keywords, notably brand keywords, and has an average position of 1.2.
We then compared the ranking distribution between the two techniques.
For organic searches, we will look at the number of keywords ranked first, second and third, then fourth through tenth. On the other side, we see that in AdWords, the keywords ranked in the top 3 or top 10 vary depending on the number of AdWords displayed in the search. In the tool, you can switch between the top 3 and top 10 for paid searches. As 80% of Nike’s ads were displayed at the top of the page, it makes sense to use the top 10.
In Myposeo Insights, you can see the SEM attendance rate, the number of unique keywords and the number of keywords for which you have dual positioning. Nike is ranked for 232 keywords in both SEO and AdWords, 364 out of 392 of which are covered, for a 92% attendance rate on all tracked keywords.
Next we will compare the evolution of the traffic for each technique and find a total. This is still estimated relative traffic, that is to say traffic related to the tracked keyword and based on an estimated click rate.
The first graphic shows the evolution of SEO, PPC and SEM traffic. With Nike, organic traffic is much more important than that generated by AdWords. The second graphic shows the portion of keywords in which Nike has an SEO and PPC presence.
In this campaign, we analysed brand keywords and other keywords separately. What we wanted to know was whether or not Nike had bothered to buy keywords through AdWords for which they were already naturally ranked well. For comparison, we added a few competitors specific to each platform, SEO, SEA and SEM, for brand keywords. From August 10th to 15th, there was a downturn in traffic to the site, which could be explained by the fact that the company stopped paying for AdWords during this period. Investing in brand keywords thus had a direct effect on Nike’s traffic.
The same thing was done for non-brand keywords, with an overall traffic curve: one SEO curve and one PPC curve. The SEO disparity is smaller between competitors and the PPC part. We also see SEO ranked keywords, PPC ranked keywords and estimated traffic relative to each category. These graphics can be found on the Myposeo Insights tool.
To conclude, we will show what kind of concrete actions and analysis this type of reporting can inspire with regards to keywords.
In the above graphic, our tool detected the keywords for which Nike was ranked neither in natural indexing nor paid referencing: so many missed opportunities for traffic or sales of which Nike could have taken advantage. We can export a table listing the keywords and their search volumes to assess the potential of each one. Some are not relevant to the brand, so the list must be sorted through.
The following table highlights the keywords for which Nike is ranked #1 in terms of both SEO and AdWords. The AdWords ad and the organic search result will thus be ranked one after the other.
It is up to the advertiser to decide whether it is necessary to keep both, but it seems it might be wise to stop paying for the keyword, especially if it is expensive. The constant monitoring offered by the tool informs you of the right moment to buy certain keywords on Google AdWords.
In addition, we offer a combined analysis of SEO and AdWords positioning, with an added factor of the number of pixels. This allows us to see for what keywords we have a good SEO ranking, but not good enough to be visible on the first page without scrolling down. In this case, where we are below the fold, it could be useful to improve our ranking by buying the keyword on AdWords.
You can see, however, that Nike does not appear in the search “Nike women’s sweatshirt,” which nevertheless has a high search volume.
The table below shows a case in which dual positioning seems less important, as the result is above the fold and ranked first in terms of SEO. Is it really helpful to buy the keywords through AdWords in this specific case?
The tables created by Myposeo Insights enable advertisers to choose whether or not they wish to maintain dual positioning for various keywords.
This data can also be used for SEO. The reports can identity keywords with a large volume and for which the site does not appear on the first three pages. The advertiser can then launch an action plan in order to achieve a better ranking for those keywords.
Myposeo Insights is a tool was built in collaboration with advertisers and is more complex than Myposeo Pro, with functionalities oriented toward SEO/PPC synergy and a simplified, instinctive dashboard. This version is only available for professionals, and comes with additional functionalities for an extra charge
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