Digital marketing is an umbrella concept – SEO and PPC are two facets of it.
However, when it comes to choosing the most suitable one, many people stumble upon it. You may wonder which route to take.
Which is better? Is there anything that is getting the upper hand?
If you’re someone who is struggling to get the answer to this question, this article is for you.
In this article, we will unfold the mystery around it.
So without much delay, let’s get started.
What Is SEO?
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a mechanism of optimizing your content and website to attain the top page rank.
Here you aim to make yourself more discoverable. SEO is an organic process intended to achieve natural search traffic.
Where your website appears in Google’s search results depends on the number of clicks on your links and how relevant your content is.
However, expect immediate results only after it takes time to see changes. There are about 200 different factors that affect your site’s ranking, so it’s important to pay attention to them if you want to improve your position in search results.
Pros Of SEO
Compared to running a PPC campaign, organic SEO is usually a more cost-effective option. With proper execution, SEO can be less expensive than setting up and managing a paid advertising campaign. Additionally, the effects of SEO tend to last longer than those of PPC.
If your website is optimized correctly, it can maintain a high position in search results for longer, even after you’ve stopped your PPC campaign.
Regarding stability, search engine positioning is generally more reliable than PPC ad positions. Your competitors’ bidding strategies can cause fluctuations in PPC ad positions.
In contrast, a site that’s been properly optimized with strong link authority and high-quality content can maintain its position in search results even if you’re not been actively working on it for a while.
As SEO is free, you’ll experience much more higher ROI than any other form of content marketing.
You don’t have to pay any charge for a click. In turn, you’ll experience a better CPC.
Cons Of SEO
SEO is a time-consuming process that requires patience and perseverance. It can take several months before you start seeing results after optimizing your site, whereas PPC can start generating leads right away.
SEO is not a one-and-done task. It’s a continuous process that requires continuous effort and attention. Your site can never be fully “optimized,” but you can gradually improve its optimization by putting in more work. The upside is that your rankings can improve over time, and you’ll hopefully reap the benefits of investing in SEO.
What Is PPC?
If you’re searching for a quick-impact way to drive traffic to your website, PPC is like a short sprint because you can start showing up on the first page of results right away.
PPC advertising lets you be very precise in who you target as potential customers. You can set up your audience depending on search terms, location, and even specific times of the day or days of the week. With organic traffic, you don’t have that level of control and may not reach the exact audience you want.
Pros Of PPC
If you are looking for instant results, PPC is the best option that you may have.
You can control your PPC account. When you feel like pausing your campaign, you can stop it.
If you use PPC (pay-per-click) advertising, you don’t have to stress about a search engine’s algorithm affecting where your website appears. Essentially, you’re competing with other businesses for the top ad spots, so your organic ranking doesn’t come into play.
On the other hand, SEO (search engine optimization) requires you to follow Google’s guidelines and make sure your site is optimized properly. Otherwise, you could see a drop in your ranking or even get penalized for using certain tactics.
Cons Of PPC
PPC requires ongoing financial investment. If you stop putting money into your ads, they will stop showing up, and as a result, you’ll experience a drop in traffic, clicks, and conversions.
Finalizing the right keywords for your PPC campaigns is a lengthy process requiring much research. On top of that, managing your spending, tracking your returns, and adjusting your bids can feel like a full-time job. You can do it yourself but be prepared to dedicate much time to it. Alternatively, you can hire an experienced PPC specialist to handle your campaigns.
Unfortunately, “Click Fraud” remains a problem in PPC advertising. Some companies use unethical tactics like manually clicking on ads or using software miming human clicks from various IP addresses worldwide.
This can lead to your competitors driving up your click charges quickly. While Google can detect some instances of this fraud, there are ways for scammers to evade detection.
SEO or PPC?
It’s important to remember that organic SEO and PPC are two different approaches aiming to achieve the same goal. Combining both strategies can bring better results as each plan offers additional benefits.
SEO can help you achieve long-term marketing goals, while PPC is more suitable for short-term goals. In addition, the keyword and content ideas you have researched for PPC can also be used for SEO. You can test your long-term keyword strategy in PPC campaigns to gauge its effectiveness.
The Final Call – Can SEO And PPC Go Hand-in-Hand?
It’s a good idea to bring your SEO and PPC teams together and come up with a joint strategy that can work towards achieving your goals.
You can leverage the data from your PPC campaigns, such as the keywords and conversions, and incorporate them into your organic SEO efforts. This can increase your chances of appearing at the top of search engine results pages for those high-performing keywords.
In partnership with SEO, PPC can also be used for remarketing purposes, targeting people who have visited your site but haven’t made a purchase yet.
