PPC vs SEO: Which Is Right for You?
Do you run a business and are looking for the best digital marketing approach to boost awareness and revenues?
Then, you might be faced with a very common dilemma: PPC vs SEO.
Is one better or more effective than the other? If so, which one? And what will your business gain by using SEO as opposed to using PPC?
Stop wondering: you’ve come to the right place. Read our essential guide to find out whether you should be using PPC or SEO for your marketing strategy.
What Is PPC?
Shedding light on the PPC versus SEO question starts by clarifying what PPC and SEO are, exactly. PPC is an acronym that stands for “pay-per-click”. It means that advertisers pay a fee each time that online users click on their links.
In practice, PPC allows you to “buy” visitors from advertisers. These days, most social media networks offer PPC capabilities, but the main platform for PPC remains Google.
You Should Choose PPC If…
Some businesses might reap more benefits from a PPC strategy. Companies operating in the retail sector or with e-commerce stores are among these. In general, companies that need or want to see the fastest results from their marketing campaign will do great by choosing PPC.
Among the benefits of a PPC campaign, you can expect to boost your traffic faster, make your products more widely available, and increase your sales. Remember, though, that PPC tends to be more pricey compared to SEO. If you have a sizeable budget, you may choose PPC, whereas more bootstrapped businesses might struggle to keep up with its cost.
What Is SEO?
Just like PPC, SEO is also an acronym, and it means “search engine optimization”. SEO involves choosing specific optimization elements for your website to rank higher on search pages. This is a more organic, gradual, and natural way to generate leads.
For SEO to be effective, it needs to match specific search engine algorithms. This involves good coding skills, excellent content writing, and relevant inbound links.
You Should Choose SEO If…
If you aren’t in a rush to see some results of your marketing campaign, and would rather adopt a long-term, future-ready approach, then SEO is for you. Companies with lower budgets can also prefer SEO to PPC, as the former tends to be more cost-effective.
Optimizing your website for search engines also means that you are more likely to retain higher rankings for longer. This is not always the case with PPC, which requires constant updates and the ability to come up with new ad content.
PPC vs SEO: Shedding Light on a Common Marketing Dilemma
In this article, we have aimed to shed some light on the all-important PPC vs SEO topic. By understanding more about both marketing approaches, and by reviewing your business needs, goals, and budget, you should now be able to pick either PPC or SEO without any more doubts.
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Conversation
Which visitor is more likely to convert someone from PPC Ads or organic search (i.e. a purchase, sign up for a newsletter, and generally respond to calls to action)?
Visitors from PPC are more likely to convert from searchers if your ad is highly targeted and optimized.
This is because web pages can rank for different keywords (other than those originally intended), so search visitors might not be really searching for the content (or products) offered on a particular page.
On the other hand, if you run a successful PPC campaign, you’ll only get clicks from visitors who are 100% interested in your content or products.
