How to position yourself on Google?

According to research, the majority of searches and purchases are made on the results we get on the first page of Google, and out of all the results on the first page first 3 (three) results are most opened. So, the result on the first page is an indicator of a well-done website, which is also well optimized for Google's search engine.

To begin with, 2 essential terms for understanding business through Google:

• Paid ads so-called „Google AdWords“ and
• Organic searches.

Paid ads are, as the title says, ads that we create and pay to Google for their promotion. They mostly appear at the top or bottom of the Google search results page, or as a banner on the pages you visit.

Organic searches relates to results that appear on Google that are not paid ads. For good positioning on organic searches, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is in charge, in translation optimizing the search results on search engines.

For example, see the paid ads and organic results of A-KERN, which offers the services of starting a company in Austria (see picture below).

By typing the term "Starting a company in Austria" (see No. 1), Google offers you 108,000 results, which it produced within 0.33 seconds (see No. 2). Among the first 3 results, one is the payed ad(see No. 3) and other two are organic results (see numbers 4 and 5).

Two results belong to our client A-KERN:

• First paid ad (3) and others
• organic result (4).

For internet business, both paid ads and a good position on organic searches are important. Accordingly, you have 3 options to get a good position on Google:

1) SEO - optimization for stable long-term results

The first is that through SEO you optimize your website for Google and achieve a good organic position on searches. This option requires time and investment, its results are not easily predictable, but in the long run, it is the most sustainable and most stable investment.

SEO implies a whole range of activities on the page itself, so-called On-Page Optimization and off the page as well, so-called Off-Page Optimization. A good SEO optimized website saves the costs that would otherwise be invested in Google ads in order to increase the visibility of your web content.

In addition, research shows that organic search results attract about 85% of traffic, users approach them with less precaution and they rather click on them then on paid ads.

2) Paid Google ads for faster results

The second option is short-term and generally more expensive. It's about promoting your internet content through paid ads on Google. In paid ads, unlike the organic range, you are positioned on Google only during the period you pay to Google for the ad. From the moment you stop paying, your content will no longer be visible on Google. Paid ads are necessary for companies that are not well positioned on organic searches and want to be found on the Internet. This is especially important for companies that are just starting to work on the Internet.

All paid ads are not positioned in the same way

The visibility of your ads, as well as the amount of costs that you need to invest in promoting them, depends on the quality of your preparation for ad content, design, definition of clear goals, target group and keywords, and also knowing Google's technical settings. Well-prepared ads are a prerequisite for their good visibility, reach and optimization of costs you invest in Google. It is in Google's interest to maintain this function because they earn most of their profits from ads. For this reason, they constantly improve them, adapt to their development and the current state of the market, and thus the complexity of handling them grows. Google ads, especially if they advertise in the branch with strong online competition, require constant fine tuning. Therefore, it is advisable to consult with experts or work with an experienced marketing agency before engaging with Google ads.

3) A combination of SEO and paid ads for new projects and branding

At best, you will consider both the first and second options. Companies that are new or have been passive in the world of Internet would in any case have to do Google ads if they want to be visible on Google as soon as possible. It is important for these companies to do SEO as well in order to be visible on Google's results in due course and without paying the ad. On the other hand, companies that are already well positioned in organic searches are often further promoted through Google ads for branding purposes. Branding is most often done through the so-called display ads on Google.

Author: Edin Ibrišimović