21st November 2022
So, you’ve built a beautiful new website and you’re ready to start attracting customers. But there’s just one problem: you have no idea how people are going to find your site.
One option is to start investing in SEO (search engine optimisation) . This is the process of optimizing your website so that it will rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), making it more likely for people to find you when they’re searching for related keywords.
Another option is to invest in a PPC (pay-per-click) campaign. This is a form of advertising where you pay a fee every time someone clicks on your ad.
Both SEO and PPC can be effective methods of marketing your business online. But which one should you invest in? In this article, we’ll compare SEO vs. PPC. We’ll also answer some common questions about organic and paid search. By the end, you should have a better understanding of which option is right for your business.
SEO is short for search engine optimization. It’s the process of improving your website to rank higher in online search results, such as Google or Bing.
There are a few different kinds of SEO, such as:
Essentially, a strong SEO strategy should optimize your website for online search and bring in new and engaged organic traffic that benefits your business.
One thing to note is that SEO is a long-term strategy with no guarantee of immediate results. It can take three to six months to see the benefits of SEO, which is why it’s important to be patient and consistent with your SEO efforts.
The benefit of SEO is that once you get it going, it can be a long-term and sustainable source of traffic for your business. In fact, 60% of marketers say that inbound SEO is their highest quality lead source.
SEO is really just about understanding how people use search engines and how to make your website the best result for their needs. There are a lot of different factors that go into SEO, but here are some of the most important ones:
Having a well-optimized website can help you rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) , thereby driving more traffic to your site. More visitors can mean more conversions, which means more revenue for your business.
Here are a few of the biggest benefits of SEO.
Unlike other marketing strategies, like pay-per-click advertising, SEO is an inbound marketing strategy. In other words, SEO brings customers to you rather than you seeking them out.
This is great news for businesses because it means that once you’ve invested the time and energy into SEO, you can sit back and let the business roll in. Once your SEO campaign is successful and you start ranking higher in SERPs, you can expect more organic traffic to come to your site without having to pay for it.
While you may need to do some small adjustments to your SEO strategy over time, the investment will be far less than what you’d spend on other marketing channels.
SEO is one of the best ways to drive high-quality traffic to your website.
When users search for a specific term or key phrase, they are usually further along in the buyer’s journey than someone who stumbles across your site through other means.
This means that SEO traffic is more likely to convert into paying customers than other forms of traffic.
Think about the last time you went out to a new restaurant. How did you find it? These days, one-third of consumers rely on online search to find local businesses. Not to mention, 68% of online experiences start with a search engine.
As well, when people see your business at the top of a search engine results page (SERP), they automatically perceive it as being more credible and trustworthy than those that rank lower.
This is because credibility is an important factor in how Google and other search engines determine which websites to rank at the top of their SERPs.
SEO ranking factors such as site speed, mobile responsiveness, and design all play a role in improving user experience.
Think about it, no one wants to visit a website that takes forever to load or has poor navigation. If you do find a website like this, you probably won’t trust it, and won’t frequent that business.
A well-optimized website will provide users with a better overall experience, which will lead to more engagement and conversions.
In order for SEO to be effective, you need to understand your customers. What are they searching for? What words and phrases are they using? Once you have a good understanding of this, you can then start to target these keywords.
You can also use this information to create better content. If you know what your customers are looking for, you can create blog posts, infographics, and even videos that answer their questions. This type of content is not only helpful for SEO purposes, but it also helps to build trust with your audience.
Not everything about SEO is positive, there are some drawbacks.
If you want to have an online presence, SEO is just one of those things you can’t ignore.
Pay-per-click (PPC) is a type of online advertising where businesses can pay to have their ads placed on search engines, websites, and social media platforms.
When someone clicks on one of these ads, the business will then pay the publisher a small fee.
For example, let’s say you own a pet store and want to advertise your business on Google. You could create an ad that says “Adopt a dog today!” and then pay Google every time someone clicks on your ad. If someone were to click on your ad and then visit your website, you would then have to pay Google a small fee.
PPC can be an effective way to drive traffic to your website, generate leads, and grow your business. However, it’s important to note that PPC is not a sustainable long-term marketing strategy. Once you stop paying for ads, traffic will also stop.
That aside, PPC ads can be a great way to supplement your SEO efforts, so that you’re always ahead of the game.
There are many types of PPC tactics you can use to supplement your SEO efforts:
If you’re thinking about investing in PPC, it’s important to understand the pros and cons.
Here are some of the main benefits of PPC.
One of the biggest benefits of running PPC campaigns is that they can help you reach a wider audience. By targeting your content at specific keywords and audiences, you can make sure that your ads are shown to people who are already interested in what you have to say.
While SEO can take months or even years to improve your visibility in organic search results, you can see results from a PPC campaign much more quickly. This is because with PPC, you’re paying for your website to be seen by people who are already searching for keywords related to your business.
Analyzing and optimizing your PPC campaigns is easier than SEO because the results are trackable. Google Analytics can show you how your PPC ads are performing, how many clicks they’re getting, and what kind of conversion rate you’re seeing . While SEO is often a guessing game, PPC lets you track your progress and adjust your campaigns accordingly.
Another benefit of PPC is that it allows you to test different messages and call-to-actions to see what works best with your target audience. This can be a great way to improve your organic SEO efforts , as you can take the lessons learned from your PPC campaigns and apply them to your website.
When it comes to SEO, you’re at the mercy of Google’s algorithm updates. If your website gets hit by a Penguin or Panda update , it can take months or even years to recover. With PPC, on the other hand, you have complete control over your campaigns. If you’re not happy with your results, you can simply adjust your bids or ad copy and see an immediate improvement.
Like SEO, PPC also has it’s downside.
Now that you know the benefits of PPC, let’s look at some of the pitfalls.
So, what’s better, SEO or PPC?
The short answer is: both.
SEO and PPC work best when they’re used together. PPC brings in short-term, relevant traffic, and SEO ensures that traffic continues to flow long-term.
For example, if you’re trying to rank for a certain keyword, you can use PPC to bid on that keyword and get your website to appear at the top of the SERP while you work on SEO tactics to organically rank for that keyword.
By investing in both SEO and PPC, you can get the best of both worlds: traffic from organic search results and traffic from paid ads.
But if you had to choose one, which should you invest in?
The answer depends on your goals and your budget. If you’re looking for immediate results in the short term, PPC might be the right fit.
But, if you want your website to grow and improve over time, choose SEO.
The most common SEO vs PPC questions answered.
SEO and PPC are both important tools for any business that wants to be visible online.
However, it’s important to remember that SEO is a long-term strategy while PPC is a short-term strategy.
If you’re looking to grow your business long-term, and create a sustainable online presence, SEO is the way to go. However, if you need quick results and are willing to invest in paid advertising, PPC can be a powerful tool.
Our recommendation is to use both in tandem, where SEO will help you rank organically and PPC will help you fill in any gaps.
If you’re looking for SEO or PPC services in Birmingham, or around the UK, reach out to ALT Agency . We’re experts in PPC and SEO and can help you create a long-term strategy that will help you grow your business online. Get in touch to learn more.
Image credits:
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Director of ALT Agency with a passion for all things design & conversion driven. Love Formula 1, Business and Property Investing.
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