Define Organic Search
In our quest to define organic search, we should start with the basic makeup of a results page.
When we search for something in Google (or most any other search engine), there are two basic sets of search results listed on the results page: sponsored and organic (natural).
Define Organic Search
Look at the red circles in the image to the left. These are the sponsored search results for the term you are searching for. Sponsored results areas list all of the people and/or companies who are willing to PAY the search engines to be in one of those areas, either at the top of the page or in the right column of the page.
However, looking at the image to the left again, everything that is NOT in the right column or in the top yellow/orange section (with a red circle around it) is called organic or natural search. This is the place to be IF you can get there.
The reason you want your site in the organic section over the long haul, is that once people find you there, they know you are there because the search engines find your site ‘worthy’ of natural rankings…..it takes time, lots of time for competitive search phrases, but time nonetheless well spent to get your site in the organic/natural area of the page (at least on the first page). Anyone with enough of a daily budget however, willing to pay more than other participants for a spot in the sponsored search areas (red circles again) can get there within a few minutes!