SSD-0003 · Status: stable · Version 1.0 · Reviewed 12 November 2026 · Wikidata Q148461
Definition
Organic search is the unpaid portion of search results: listings a search engine includes because it judges them relevant to the query, not because someone paid for the placement.
自然搜尋是指搜尋結果中非付費的部分：搜尋引擎因為判斷其與查詢相關而收錄的結果，而不是因為有人付費購買版位。
In practice
Organic search is a channel, not a tactic. Traffic from it is earned query by query and can be lost in a single algorithm update, which makes it simultaneously the cheapest acquisition channel at scale and the one with the least contractual protection. Two measurement traps follow. First, branded organic traffic mostly confirms demand that already existed rather than creating it. Second, organic conversions frequently arrive after several non-organic touches, so last-click attribution systematically understates the channel.
自然搜尋是一個渠道，不是一種戰術。它的流量要逐個查詢賺回來，也可能因為一次演算法更新而失去，這使它在規模上成為最便宜的獲客渠道，同時也是最沒有合約保障的一個。隨之而來有兩個量度陷阱。第一，品牌字自然流量多數只是在確認既有的需求，而不是創造需求。第二，自然轉換往往在數次非自然接觸之後才發生，所以 last-click 歸因會系統性低估這個渠道。
What it is not
- Not “free”. It carries no media cost, but it costs content, technical work and time. Free of ad spend is not free.
- Not the moral opposite of paid search. Both occupy the same page and often work together; the distinction is commercial, not ethical.
- Not all unpaid traffic. Direct, referral and email are also unpaid. Organic is specifically the search-driven portion.
Status
Stable. The distinction between paid and unpaid placement has been consistent since search engines began selling ads against results. Its share of total clicks is what is moving, not its meaning.
Identity
- Wikidata: Q148461 — organic search
- English aliases: organic results; natural search; unpaid search
- 中文正名：自然搜尋（香港、台灣）；中國大陸作「自然搜索」
- Opposite term: paid search / search engine marketing (SEM)
Related terms
Sources
- Google, Google Search Essentials, developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials (accessed 12 November 2026).
- Wikidata, item Q148461 “organic search” (accessed 12 November 2026).