The natural (or organic) search engine results can be defined as the listings on search results pages that are returned by the search engine algorithms based on their relevance to the search terms. These natural search results are web pages that have been indexed by the search engines based on their content, keywords, and link popularity (defined as the number of high quality sites that link to the page). The search engines do not accept money to influence the natural search results or rankings of an individual website.

Organic search results (unpaid results) are best described by their contrast to listings in the advertising (or paid results) section of the results page. The sponsored or featured listings are ranked based on who is willing to pay the most money per visitor to appear at the top of the page for a particular keyword or phrase. All of the search engines combine advertising and organic search results on their search pages.

The natural search results direct far more online traffic than advertising, directories, or any other source on the World Wide Web. A high rank in the natural search engine results can bring many thousands of visitors to your website.

Research statistics show that over eighty percent of web users find what they are looking for in the natural search results. Many people do not trust advertising. A large portion of searchers completely ignore the paid search results, banners and sponsored links and move directly to the natural search results. Sophisticated searchers are also more likely to put more credence in the natural search results than the paid results in much the same way that consumers give more weight to an investigative report than an infomercial.

Additional research from the iProspect Search Engine User Behavior Study, April 2006, showed that:

• 62% of search engine users click on a result on the first page.
• 90% click on a result in the first three pages.
• Fewer users are willing to click beyond the first three pages than previously (only 10% in 2006 vs. 19% in 2002).
• 41% of users who continue their search, if they do not find what they are looking for, will change either their search terms or search engine if the results they want are not on the first page of search results.
• 88% will do so if the results aren’t in the first 3 pages.

This study highlights the need to rank in the first three pages of natural search results for your keywords and keyword phrases. Showing up in the first three pages of the natural search is critical for increasing both traffic to your website and subsequent sales.

A high rank in the natural search engine results can bring many thousands of visitors to your website. Obtaining and keeping a high rank in the organic search results comes from search engine optimization (SEO). Note that SEO takes ongoing work and, as such, is not free even if you do the work yourself.

Even with SEO, getting exposure and visibility for your company for a highly competitive keyword can be elusive. Many companies compensate by spending enormous sums on cost-per-click advertising. Alternately, you can employ a mix of off- page search engine optimization strategies including a proprietary Content Network and publicity through press releases and article syndication to both raise your visibility in the natural search and drive large numbers of additional targeted visitors to your site.

Properly done off-page SEO can drive enough traffic to reduce dependence on cost-per-click at a lower rate. As such, SEO should be a mandatory part of any online advertising program. A budget for SEO can easily be justified by the return on investment in increased traffic to your website.