Organic search
What is organic search?
Organic search refers to the unpaid listings on a search results page. Pages appear there because the search engine’s algorithm judged them the best match for the query, not because an advertiser paid. SEO is the work of earning and improving these organic positions.
On a Google results page, ads are marked “Sponsored” and usually sit at the top and bottom. Everything else, the blue links, plus organic features such as featured snippets, People Also Ask and image or video results, is organic. Map listings in the local pack are also unpaid, though local ads can appear there too.
Why organic search matters for SEO
Organic results take most of the clicks for many queries, and you don’t pay for each one. Once a page ranks, it can bring steady organic traffic for a long time.
Organic positions can’t be bought. That makes them harder to win but also more trusted by many searchers, and a competitor with a bigger ad budget can’t simply outbid you.
How to see your organic search performance
- Open the Performance report in Google Search Console. It shows clicks, impressions, CTR and average position for organic Google results only.
- In Google Analytics 4, filter traffic by the “Organic Search” default channel group to see what organic visitors do on the site.
- Track the positions of your target keywords over time with a rank tracker, so you notice gains and drops early.
Organic search FAQ
What is the difference between organic and paid search?
Paid search results are ads you pay for per click; organic results are free listings ranked by the search engine’s algorithm. SEO targets organic results and PPC targets paid ones.
Are featured snippets organic?
Yes. Featured snippets, People Also Ask and most other SERP features are chosen by Google’s algorithms from indexed pages, so they count as organic.
Related SEO terms
Organic traffic is the visitors who reach your site by clicking an unpaid search result rather than an ad, link or social post.
Paid search results are ads shown on search results pages, labelled Sponsored on Google, where advertisers pay when someone clicks.
SERP (search engine results page)
A SERP (search engine results page) is the page a search engine shows after a query: organic links, ads, and features like snippets and maps.
SEO (search engine optimization)
SEO (search engine optimization) is the work of making your website easier to find, understand and choose in unpaid search results.
Search engine marketing (SEM) is promoting a website in search engines. It usually means paid search ads, and sometimes means SEO plus ads together.