Could increased Organic SERPs Relevancy - mean Less PPCs and SEM

[! !]

http://forums.searchenginewatch.com/showthread.php?t=418


If the relevancy of the SERPs become so Satisfactory - what reason would many surfers have to click on PPCs - and would the ROI of SEM therefore decrease because of less need by consumers :confused:


http://www.crn.com/sections/breakingnews/dailyarchives.jhtml?articleId=48800245



One Microsoft technologist said web search technology will be a big money maker for Google and others in the short term but he predicted the party won't last long.

The better we get at search, the cheaper the ads are,"

[andrewgoodman]

It's an incoherent argument that flies in the face of the entire history of communications.

Advertisers for the last xxx years have been determined to get consumers' attention in any place they can. Basically, wherever it's legal.

I did a test search on Clusty today for "trucker hats" just for fun. Some of the most engaging listings were the sponsored listings. In fact I found myself on a store almost ready to buy a few garments, just because I had that "what the hell, I need some stuff" mentality on a Saurday.

There is no danger of search becoming so relevant or the user experience becoming so engrossing when on a computer, PDA, or other device that advertising absolutely "won't work." That might be a little like saying that today's newspaper stories are so life-affirming that there is zero chance of me looking at a furniture ad.

Advertising works. It will always work.

As a side note, I notice that many of the professional reporters I come across (and sometimes talk with) are very sceptical about the effectiveness of "contextual ads." What they don't seem to realize is that without contextual ads (or even really untargeted ones), they wouldn't have jobs! Man cannot live on subscription fees alone. Greedy man wants to double-dip and also sell ads, so overeducated reporters can be overpaid and drive Priuses. :) Out.

[creativecraig]

Just because a site is number one - five it does mean to say it holds the information/product that I want. It could also depend on how the general public search, the more keywords they use and specific they get the better the results will be. A search engine can only be as good as the person using it.

[Mikkel deMib Svendsen]

Advertising works. It will always work.

I agree but it does change shape and form very often. And, when it comes to the Internet it changes extremely fast. If we adopt fast enough then we will all have jobs for many years to come, but if we lean back and think search advertising will be here forever then I am not so sure ...

[St0n3y]

The primary difference between organic results and the PPC ads is control of what the searcher sees. With organic results control is primarily in the hands of the search engine (though that can be manipulated some) while with PPC control of the ad is primarily in the hands of those that place the ad. That can make a huge difference, and the very reason that many do both PPC and optimization at the same time.

[Mikkel deMib Svendsen]

Another good reason is that the spam that they don't accept in organic results often gets approvd for PPC :)

[cline]

It's a silly argument.

The whole rationale between the PPC and editorial listings is different. PPC is based on what's most profitable. It's highly darwinian and gets lots of tweaking. Editorial results are based on what the algo determines is most likely to be relevant to the search term. So, a search on "digital cameras" will give you PPC listings for buying digital cameras and editorial listings about digital cameras, some of which will include offers to buy digital cameras.

[creativecraig]

But changing the search to Buy Digital Cameras I think is where their argument is, they are saying that they will be able to return better natural results in the long run thus driving the cost per click.

[St0n3y]

I think they are two compeltely different forms of advertising that really don't have much to do with another. Certainly some would rather pay for optimization over PPC but it all comes down to cost/benefit. The only thing that will really keep PPC prices down is the ability to make a profit.

[Mikkel deMib Svendsen]

but it all comes down to cost/benefit.

Exactly! Sometimes it just makes more sense to buy what you need instead of having to work really hard for something "free". A good example is small industries on small markets - for example here in Denmark. Many industries here can only hope to attract a few hundred search visitors a month - at the most, and for those it dosen't make sense to spend 10 or 20k on organic optimization. They can probably buy all the PPC-visitors they want for years to come for the same amount of money.