Customer acquisition – organic traffic versus paid traffic.
Comparison
Organic Traffic
Paid Traffic
1. Source
Searching
Comes from organic search results on search engines and stores (e.g. Google Play, App Store).
Ads
Comes from online ads (e.g. Google Ads, Facebook Ads)
Advertising campaigns
Is generated by paid advertising campaigns (which are displayed on various platforms).
2. Costs
Long-term savings
Costs associated with organic traffic are lower in the long term (require initial investment in SEM, SEO / ASO).
No direct fees
No per-click or per-visit fees (like paid ads).
Long-term savings
Organic traffic costs are lower over time (requires upfront investment in SEM, SEO/ASO).
Direct fees
Requires direct fees per-click (CPC), per-impression (CPM) or other payment models.
Budget control
You can control the spending and budget of advertising campaigns.
3. Credibility and perception
Credibility
Organic results are seen as more reliable and trustworthy.
Stability
Once you have achieved a high position in search results, maintaining organic traffic can be easier and more stable.
Distrust
Users may be more skeptical of paid ads (compared to organic results).
Immediate traffic
Ads can attract traffic instantly (but this traffic can be much less engaged than organic traffic).
4. Time
Deferred effects over time
It takes more time to get results from SEM, SEO or ASO efforts (but the benefits are long-term).
Stability
Once you reach a high position in search results, maintaining organic traffic can be easier and more stable.
Immediate results
Ads can bring immediate results (in the form of site impressions or app downloads from stores).
Short-term benefits
Once the ad campaign ends, paid traffic quickly fades away (so it requires an ongoing investment).
5. Results and risks
Existence of a real need
Organic traffic is generated by users who are actively looking for something. If the product (or service) they find meets their needs, they are likely to buy it.
Lack of a real need
Ads (despite targeting) are displayed to broad groups of users. Among them may be people who don’t need (or want) the product (or service) in question. As a result, the sales generated from ads may be low (tenths of a percent) or even zero. So it is easy to spend a sizable budget and generate a loss (costs > profits).
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