Google SEO & PPC synergy information?

[the_swede]

I’ve been searching like crazy online but can’t find anything of relevance relating to the knock-on effect of running SEO and PPC simultaneously.

For example, is there any online resources stating some thing in the lines of…

If you rank at the top of the natural listings you will receive 40% of all clicks.

If you rank at the top of the paid listings you will receive 15% of all clicks.

...but if you are listed at the top for both you’d benefit from 75% of all clicks due to overall trust factor, synergy of maximum exposure etc?

Does this exist? I guess it’s similar to Google’s golden triangle eye-ball study but in more detail.

Thanks

Swede

[Robert Charlton]

See this discussion from about two years ago...

Organic traffic increases inline with increase in PPC traffic
[webmasterworld.com...]

In the thread, I noted studies reporting "a symbiotic relationship between organic and PPC in Google". Since that time, I haven't seen any new studies.

In the current economy, I'm seeing some clients reducing AdWords spend because the ROI isn't there. Though top natural listings have remained, natural traffic is also down. With present market conditions, though, I would hesitate to attribute reduction in traffic simply to loss of symbiosis.

Mod's note: The Google Forum Charter [webmasterworld.com] does not allow identifying outside studies unless they are reported by authoritative sources. Please contact mods before citing specific studies.

[tedster]

I've seen several such studies - but they're not online right now. In fact, this is a debated area with many conflicting opinions and results being offered. There is a lot of variarion - the results can be affected by the quality of the PPC campaign altogether and the source of the study can easily be biased because they go into the study with a particular agenda or bias.

The actual values I've seen vary significantly for different keywords and markets - and the synergy effect is often there, but not always. Sometimes there is cannibalzation and loss of efficiency.

If the organic position averages X clicks and the PPC position averages Y clicks, the biggest synergy I've seen in testing is in the area of 20% higher than X+Y alone. But again, sometimes there is cannibalization - I've seen examples where the results were quite a bit LOWER than X+Y.

The other factor is if brand building is important - that can't be measured by clicks on the SERPs.

So I'd say, as with many things, the devil is in the details (which can be many) so there's no one answer.

[the_swede]

Thank you both for your inputs. I often get asked by clients what the benefits are of running SEO & PPC simultaneously (apart from the obvious tactical vs. long-term results).

I understand that the results may differ depending on market, but some rough ball park estimates would be so helpful; at least you could give an semi-educated guess of the real benefits.

Thanks again

Swede

[makemetop]

I was speaking at a seminar recently where a major worldwide hotel brand was talking about the effect of removing the brand name + location from PPC as they were always the #1 result in organic results. When they stopped, the major booking engines appeared above the organic results resulting in a very noticeable decline in direct bookings. They reversed the policy within 2 months.

[the_swede]

That's interesting, but maybe not that surprising. I wonder if they'd see different results for generic search terms!?