Organic search is the unpaid results that appear when someone uses a search engine such as Google. A website can appear in these results because Google considers one of its pages relevant to the search, not because the business has paid for an advertisement.
For example, if someone searches “dentist Melbourne” and clicks a regular website result, that visit comes from organic search. Results marked as sponsored or ads are part of paid search and are counted separately.
Organic search can include service pages, product pages, blog articles, local business results and other types of content shown by Google.
How Does Organic Search Work?
Google discovers webpages, processes their content and decides which pages may be suitable for different searches. When someone enters a query, Google selects and orders results using many different signals.
The results can vary depending on the search itself, location, device and other factors. This means a website does not necessarily appear in exactly the same position for every person.
SEO is used to improve how easily Google can find and understand a website and how well its pages match relevant searches.
Organic Search and SEO
Organic search traffic can come from people researching a subject, comparing businesses or looking for a product or service they are ready to buy.
SEO aims to increase useful visibility across these searches. This can involve improving existing pages, creating new content, fixing technical website problems, working on local SEO and building relevant links.
Organic performance is commonly measured through impressions, clicks, keyword positions and conversions. Traffic alone does not show the full result. For a business website, the quality of the searches bringing visitors is also important, particularly when the goal is to generate enquiries, bookings or sales.