Web marketing is quite diverse, and most website owners tend to wonder what would be the best way to get more traffic on their website. SEO and PPC seem to be the most popular options, and most website owners keep asking which of the strategies would be the most effective one. In order to answer this question effectively, it is important to look at both marketing strategies in great detail so that you can make an informed decision about your business.
What is SEO?
SEO stands for 'Search Engine Optimization', and this is a method that is used to help in getting a higher rank in the form of organic or natural search results for particular keywords on popular search engines like Yahoo, Bing, and Google.
It is important to note that SEO is not only meant to optimize your site to rank higher on search engines but also makes your website an authority in a particular niche. Ideally, most search engines will monitor how people interact with your business website, how other sites link to your web pages and so many other factors. Here are a quick overview about main SEO factors for ranking:
What is PPC?
PPC refers to 'Pay-Per-Click' which is a method that entails paying for the advertising space for particular keywords on the search engine results page. While this is the case, there is a whole lot of search engine optimization that is used in creating the pay per click ads.
Is SEO Better than PPC?
Well, this will highly depend on a number of factors. However, every business should use SEO as the long-term marketing option so as to make the most of the traffic leads on the internet. Recent studies indicate that there are quite a number of users who ignore the paid results and will always go for natural results. In most cases, when visitors can be able to trace you through natural results, they tend to trust your products and services more.
SEO has a great advantage in that it will indicate that your business is credible through the higher ranking in organic search results. However, it would be illogical to think that SEO is free of any costs. While Pay-per-Click expressly talks about paid results, search engine optimization will also cost you in one way or another. For instance, you will be required to hire a professional SEO expert who will manage all your marketing strategies. As such, it is important to note that search engine optimization comes at a cost, as well.
Is PPC Better than SEO?
PPC has its own set of advantages and should not be ignored due to the cost factor. As a matter of fact, you will realize that pay per click is essential in providing greater insight got your search engine optimization strategy. If you want to use PPC, you need to consider your budget for marketing. In most cases, if you want to enjoy significant results from pay per click, you should be ready to spend $50 to $100 per day on the clicks. Anything that is lower than this seems to be inadequate and may not yield any returns on investment. You should bear in mind that not every visitor who clicks on your ad will convert into a lead or customer. If you need to set up a Google Adwords campaign, don't forget to check my quick setup guide.
Benefits of PPC and SEO
Your business will benefit from these two marketing strategies at different levels. For instance, if you have just launched your business and want to create an online presence, the paid search results will be the best option. This is a fast way to establish your brand in the specific niche, but you need to be working on search engine optimization.
As mentioned earlier, there are so many people who ignore the paid results and will scroll to click on natural search results. So ideally, in as much as SEO may take some time to build, there is a very high likelihood that you will be getting more visitors from the organic search results.
If you consider your own browsing behavior, do you click on the paid results, when you are searching for something, or do you go directly to the organic search results? Most online users will tend to incline towards organic search results and can easily trust the business as legitimate. While PPC is a quick solution for new businesses, it may end up disappointing you. As such, even when using paid results, you should be working on search engine optimization.
So, which one should I choose?
To answer this question of which one is better for your business, you need to consider a number of variables. Essentially, with all possible considerations, your business needs both marketing strategies. You can use Pay-Per-Click to start off your business as you are building on your search engine optimization strategies.
There are so many other elements like keyword research that will determine the success of your marketing strategy. PPC will get things moving fast and easy, but remember that you would need to have a budget provision of at least $50 every day so as to enjoy meaningful conversion rates.
As for SEO, it will take some time to be able to build it and get traffic from the organic search results. If you have a new business, you will be snared in the Google Sandbox for a couple of months. During this period, your ranking in the organic search engine results will keep fluctuating, and the inconsistency is quite frustrating.
Conclusion
In the long run, search engine optimization tends to bring authentic traffic and promising leads. With proper search engine optimization strategies, you will be able to improve the paid results as well. If you can learn how to use both PPC and SEO together, you will enjoy quality leads and high volumes of traffic.
Each of the marketing strategies has its own unique benefits and combining the two will ensure that you get maximum returns. You should use both of them simultaneously as they will support each other and give you a higher ranking on search engines.
