Paid Traffic (PPC) vs Organic Traffic (SEO) Which is Better?

I have to admit, I can sometimes be a numbers geek. I’m one of the few people who actually enjoy looking at Google Analytics.

There’s one graph in particular that always seems to stay constant no matter what real estate website I review. It’s the graph that compares Organic Traffic (the traffic that comes from natural search engine optimization) vs Paid Traffic (Google Pay Per Click advertising). It always shows the same thing. Organic Traffic yields far better visitors than Pay Per Click. But, don’t just take my word for it. Let’s look at some numbers.

You can see that the particular site we are looking at has about the same amount of Organic Traffic vs Paid Traffic.

But, that’s where the similarities end.

The organic traffic has almost 3 times the amount of pageviews - Wow!

That’s not all. Let’s take a look at time on site. Pay Per Click traffic only clicked around the site for 2:30 vs 4:16 from Organic Traffic.

I can go on and on with numbers like these but I know not everyone is a data geek like me.

What Does PPC Really Cost You?

Looking at these stats, it’s easy to see that Pay Per Click Traffic costs more than just the cost of advertising. It can also cost you quality traffic.

The "Why" Behind the Numbers

I think one of the key features (and conversion points) of a real estate website is to be a solid resource - a research tool. Many potential home buyers and sellers start out in the “information gathering” stage. As a result, they want a site that has quality information and doesn’t put everything behind a forced registration wall. Most people automatically assume a company that is buying keywords to be in the “sponsored results” is going to try to sell them something.  Sites that show high in the natural rankings are there because they have killer content (amongst other ranking factors). As a result, people know the site will probably be information rich.

So, What Do You Do?

If you know people are seeking killer content, then give them killer content.  Be THE resource for Hoboken condos. Offer extensive information about Maui real estate. Whatever the niche, make it abundantly clear to your target audience and to search engines that your site is the information hub. You’ll not only grow your organic rankings but also gain higher quality traffic.