The Google search results pages can be confusing. At Terrakon, we often get this question: “How do I get myself on Google?”
The answer to that question isn’t as cut and dried as you may think. There are many different methods of getting “on Google” and your business model, industry along with many other factors will determine the tactics that should be used to deliver more potential customers to your website via Google.
The best way to begin understanding Google, is to learn about the Google search results.
Pay Per Click — Along the right gutter of the Google search results pages, you see the “sponsored” results. This is a gentle way of saying — paid ads. Many people don’t realize that the results appearing along the right side of a Google search results page are Pay Per Click ads. This means that if and when a searcher clicks on those results, the business that is running the ads will be charged.
For more information about pay per click advertising, check out our PPC advertising services.
Local Search Results — Local search results are the results that appear next to a map on the search results page. They are used by searchers to find brick and mortar businesses in a particular area.
When a searcher types something like: ‘cpa saint louis, missouri‘ they are indicating to the search engine that they would like results in that geographic location. Typically, Google (and the others) will serve a set of local results when a geographic term is added to the search query.
Universal Search Results — The universal search results contain many different types of results today including:
- Video Search Results
- Image results
- Real Time Results
- Social Results
- Traditional Web Page Results
These are the results, often called the “organic” or “free” search results. They are referred to as “free” because those that are displayed highly in the organic search results have worked hard to get there or have paid someone else to work hard.
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