When you Google a term, the search results are determined by algorithms and human curation. The algorithms determine how relevant the websites listed on the search result page are to the query, while the human curation determines which websites are ranked on the page.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at these factors and see their influence on which website shows up first in a search result.
What is an organic search?
Organic search is a type of search engine optimization that focuses on providing high-quality, relevant content to users. This means that the site’s content was produced by or with the help of people directly involved in its creation, such as journalists, bloggers, or social media influencers. In contrast, paid search is an advertising campaign that pays web admins and other online promoters to place ads on their sites.
How do organic search results differ from non-organic search results?
Non-organic search results are typically found through websites that have been paid to rank higher on the search engine results pages (SERP). On the other hand, organic search results come from websites deemed to be of high quality by the Google search engine.
Organic search results tend to have more positive and authoritative content than non-organic search results. This is likely because organic search results are typically from websites that have been reviewed and approved by Google before they appear in the search engine. Additionally, organic search results are often more relevant to users’ queries than non-organic search results.
While organic search results offer a better user experience, they can’t always guarantee a top spot in the SERP. To rank first for a given query, you need both organic and non-organic traffic sources.
Which factors make a site or page eligible for organic ranking?
To be eligible for organic ranking, a site or page must be:
- Non-branded -The site or page doesn’t have any paid advertising on it
- The site or page is not part of a network (such as Google Places, Maps, etc.)
- The site or page is not an affiliate program
Some of the factors that can influence whether a site or page will be ranked as organic include:
- The PageRank of the site or page -Higher PageRank results in higher rankings
- The age of the content on the site or page -Old content is less likely to be ranked as organic
- Number of backlinks to the site or page -More links equals more authority
How can you tell if a site is organic?
One way to determine if a website is organic is to look at the URL. If it begins with “www.,” it’s not likely to be organic. If the URL starts with “https://” or “http://,” it’s more likely to be organic.
Conclusion
There’s no one answer to this question since it depends on several factors, including the topic you are researching and the keywords you are using. However, generally speaking, search engine results that have been organically ranked (meaning Google has determined them to be high-quality) tend to offer more in-depth information than those that have not been automatically judged. So if you’re looking for credible sources of information, organic listings are likely to be a better bet than results artificially boosted by Google.