What's The Difference Between Organic And Paid Search?

Two ways to appear on Google

Google search results show two types of listings: paid results (ads) and organic results. They look similar but work completely differently.

Paid search (Google Ads / PPC)

Paid results appear at the top and bottom of search results and are labelled "Sponsored." Businesses pay Google each time someone clicks their ad. The moment you stop paying, your ads disappear.

Organic search (SEO)

Organic results are the non-paid listings below the ads. Rankings are determined entirely by Google's algorithm. You can't pay Google to appear in organic results — you earn your position through SEO. Once you're ranking, that traffic doesn't disappear when you stop paying an agency.

Which is better?

Neither is objectively better — they serve different purposes. Paid search delivers immediate visibility. Organic search delivers long-term, cost-efficient traffic that compounds over time. Many businesses run both in parallel for maximum coverage.