There are various techniques available for digital marketers to utilize nowadays, and the two that come up most frequently are search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising.
Novice marketers might look at these two and then ask, “Which one should I use?”. But the truth is that any successful marketing campaign uses a blend of both for maximum impact. PPC or SEO alone might get you results, but the best output comes with combining different techniques so that one can compensate for the shortcomings of the other.
Some businesses work with a PPC agency to ease the hassle of building, testing, and optimizing a digital marketing strategy from scratch. If you can’t afford to outsource, many online resources are free. You just need to invest time and effort to learn the principles of each technique.
This article will help you get started on the differences between SEO and PPC and why it’s advantageous to have both in your digital marketing strategy.
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Advantages of PPC
PPC’s main advantage is that it’s a lucrative advertising approach. As the name implies, the ad’s cost is directly proportional to the number of clicks it gets, so you will most likely get your money’s worth. Another advantage is using keywords, location, and other filtering options to target the ad audience. Using the right keywords and filtering criteria will result in more valuable clicks for your business. Finally, the results of a PPC campaign can be felt instantly. The moment you start a campaign, you will immediately know its impact on your business and adjust accordingly in a matter of days.
Advantages of SEO
Multiple studies and surveys have confirmed that users are most likely to click on a website higher up the search ranking. The discovery of this user behavior is how SEO came to be. By ranking higher for certain keywords on search engines, your website can generate traffic, which, in turn, affects your revenue. The main pull of SEO for most marketers is that it’s low-cost, and in some cases, completely free. On top of that, SEO improves localized traffic thanks to SEO tools like Google My Business. SEO also boosts your brand reputation since SEO goes hand in hand with website optimization, link building, high-quality content production, and more.
Why use both?
You may be looking at the last two subheads and thinking, why use both if each technique is already so effective on its own? Well, the answer is that PPC and SEO aren’t perfect. PPC’s main disadvantage is that it’s easy to fall into traps that lead to overspending and poor return on investment (ROI). Meanwhile, the main disadvantage of SEO is that it’s a slow process. Most campaigns get results after only 6 months or even one year.
Chicago PPC Agency recommends using both PPC and SEO so that they can each cover the gaps left by the other. Here are a few ways you can use both SEO and PPC effectively.
- PPC gets you started on search engine traffic. Remember that SEO takes months or years to produce results, and even then, you won’t skyrocket straight to the top after just one campaign. So, in the meantime, you can use PPC to get you those valuable search engine clicks. Target specific keywords to get clicks that have a higher chance of conversion.
- PPC can test keywords for your SEO campaign. Part of an SEO campaign is knowing which keywords to target. SEO marketers need to pursue keywords that are uncompetitive, relevant to the business and have a high chance of conversion. Since PPC campaigns turn up immediate results, you can use your PPC data to identify which keywords generate the most clicks and conversions. Use these keywords on important site elements to improve your SEO strategy.
- SEO improves conversion. PPCs can only get a user to your site. The conversion rests solely on the hands of your landing page and website. Part of SEO is website and user experience optimization. A better website and user experience will surely increase your conversion rate, improve your ROI and lower your cost per acquisition.
There are many other ways you can use SEO and PPC in conjunction with each other. Using a combination of techniques effectively also gives you more data to make better decisions for your overall strategy. If you’re still struggling with coming up with a seamless campaign, a PPC agency can offer you a strategy that’s a good fit for your business goals.
