A Guide to SEO vs PPC Tactics
A common question you may ask is “what would my brand benefit from more- SEO or PPC?” To determine which marketing strategy is better for your business, first we need to differentiate between them.
What is SEO?
SEO stands for search engine optimization and it is the practice of increasing traffic to your website. Search engines such as Google or Bing use bots to sort through pages on the web, and collect information about those pages and organize them in an index. Next, algorithms sort through all the pages in the index and analyze them based on key ranking factors. This is done in order to determine the order pages should appear in the SERPS.
SEO is important for Digital Marketing because people conduct countless number of searches every day. SEO makes your website more visible, boosts traffic, and ultimately converts website viewers into customers.
What is PPC?
PPC stands for pay-per-click and it is a type of marketing strategy where advertisers pay each time their ads get viewed. PPC is basically a way of buying visits to your site, rather than using SEO to earn organic traffic.
PPC marketing is used often in search engine marketing because it allows for advertisers to bid for high placements in SERPS when someone searches for a keyword related to their ad. Every time someone clicks on the PPC link, the company has to pay a fee to the search engine. When PPC is effective, the fee is very trivial compared to the amount the advertiser makes in profit.
Which is Better for My Business?
In many SEO vs PPC cases, they work best when integrated together into your marketing strategy- but let’s break down their individual benefits.
SEO Benefits
- Brand Awareness: Using effective keywords will create visibility in the SERPS. When using the right keywords, it can bring your business to the forefront of the SERPS, which drives traffic brand awareness.
- Sustainability: Unlike PPC, your organic ranking will not go away as soon as you stop paying for the service. As a result, SEO can last longer and reap longer term benefits.
- Cost: Although SEO isn’t considered cheap, it can be more cost effective than PPC because you’re not paying a fee every time your link is clicked from the SERPS.
- Return on Investment (ROI): Organic search engine traffic typically provides higher ROI than PPC.
PPC Benefits
- SERP Position: With PPC, your ads will often be placed at the very top of the page. Therefore, being the first thing a customer sees after conducting a search.
- Larger Ads: PPC allows for larger ads with more information. These improved ads provide you with more control when delivering your marketing message.
- Visual Ads: Providing visual aides are another option within PPC. Adding visuals will catch customers attention and are more likely to be clicked.
- Speed: Unlike SEO, a PPC campaign can bring in traffic almost immediately.
Both SEO and PPC are excellent marketing tools to use when trying to boost website traffic. Each business is unique and has different goals when it comes to search engine marketing. If you have any questions about an SEO vs PPC campaign, don’t hesitate to reach out to the digital strategists at Kraus Marketing. Contact us today to get started!