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Search results aren't just ten blue lines any more. In Google especially they have gotten more crowded as they attempt to satisfy both users queries and the advertisers need to be shown in front of those users. If you are paying for an SEO campaign or any other kind of internet marketing it's important to know your sponsored from your organic listings. By knowing the difference you can avoid any internet marketing scams which promise permanent page one organic listings but delivers temporary sponsored listings instead.

Organic Listings: When you perform a search on Google you will have the organic listings to the left of the page. Normally this is ten blue links which may or may not have sponsored listings displayed above them. These links are there because Google's search algorithm has decided that they best suit the query searched for. These search results are the ones that an SEO company will aim to influence using SEO techniques.

Sponsored Listings: A sponsored listing is a result that is paid for by an advertiser. Sponsored results display on the right hand side of the screen and on top of the organic results when a search term is in high demand. Sponsored listings have a light yellow background to differentiate them from organic results. Google's advertising system is called AdWords where advertisers run ads on a Pay Per Click (PPC) basis. Advertisers agree on a maximum bid per click which determines (among other quality control factors) where their ad will sit in the sponsored results. The cost per click will vary on how competitive the keywords are. Using AdWords is a guaranteed way of getting your site targeted traffic however it can prove expensive depending on the market and competition.

Google Local: If you have ever searched for a business in a specific area then you will no doubt be familiar with Google's local listings which come in the form of ten listings beside a map. All of the businesses listed will either be in or close to the area searched for. To get your business listed in this 'ten box' all you need to do is register with Google's local business centre which has recently changed its name to Google Places.

Google also has a shopping section which sometimes crosses over into the organic listings. If you search for a product you will usually see a couple of shopping results included in the listings with prices and sometimes an image displayed beside them. TO be included in these listings you can submit a feed of your products to the Google merchant centre for free. If you are competitive in price and you have a well optimised site and feed then you should have a good chance of showing up.

Hopefully with this information you will be able to figure out if you've been sold organic SEO, PPC, local business submission or a shopping results product feed.

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