SEO or PPC Comparison – Where should I spend my time & money?

Online marketers regularly share ideas and posts about how SEO is better than PPC or the other way around. Discussion forums and comment sections too are full of observations trying to secure the victory for either SEO or PPC.

Sadly, they often forget that both work towards a common objective- SEARCH.

Both SEO and PPC help websites in becoming more relevant to particular search phrases. If so is the case, then why choose only one and completely ignore the other?

SEO and PPC have become more diverse over time and are no more restricted to just search engines. Webmasters have disclosed some of the expected google updates in 2014 that will further change the digital marketing strategy. But if planned and managed with due expertise, patience and diligence, the duo(SEO+PPC) can work wonders to promote your brand.

Through this article, we will address common doubts that come in marketing minds while thinking about SEO vs PPC comparison and final budget allocation.

Why do I need a PPC campaign if my website is already performing through organic search?

Well, your rank on search engine results page can change any time due to an SEO stunt by a spammer or update in the search engine algorithm. To still get featured in one of the top results for the same keywords, you will need to rely on PPC campaigns till you fix the issue. PPC campaigns come handy during such crisis situations.

Besides that, it doesn’t hurt if you have organic search links as well as PPC ads working for your business.

Which is better for brand building- SEO or PPC?

• It is usually believed that the biggest benefit of SEO is that people recognize your brand and trust it more if it appears as one of the top search results for relevant keywords. That said, coming on the first page is not easy to achieve. You need to optimize not only your website but also wait for the website to generate enough traffic to gain credibility and rank well. Nowadays, search engines also consider presence on other online platforms as an important factor to regard a website as a trustable brand. All this cannot happen soon after your launch.
• Here is where your PPC campaigns kicks in. They give you visibility when you are not performing on the search engines. You can build brand visibility through display networks. If your display ads appear on reputed websites, you can generate enough traffic and also increase brand recall. A lot of brands use this technique at the time of their launch or when they are trying to promote a new product.
• There can also be the case where your competitor starts displaying a paid advertisement just above your organic result. The only option to counter this is to have your paid ad appear at the top of the page.

Also Read: How to improve your website’s Google ranking? (SEO Case Study by FATbit)

Can SEO and PPC campaigns support each other?

• A search engine optimized website appears effortlessly for relevant keywords. Blogging is an important tool for SEO to target both short and long tail keywords so that you rank well for all kind of search queries. These keywords will generate regular traffic without any recurring cost unlike PPC campaigns which are charged per click. Sometimes, due to tough competition, you cannot perform well for every desired keyword. So, one can pay to appear for such keywords through PPC campaigns.
• The best way to find new keywords for your PPC campaign is to research the terms that have given you organic traffic. You can find these details in your Google Analytics account. Thus SEO is actually helping you run a successful PPC campaign. If you want to experiment some new keywords before optimizing your website for them, it is easily possible through PPC. You can test keywords and see if they get you relevant traffic.

• Sometimes, links that appear through organic search results are not desired by business owners. This usually happens in case of negative reviews. Negative sentiments tend to stick and are difficult to overtake through ethical SEO measures instantly. Thus, you need to go for online reputation management by strategic bidding along with targeted landing pages can help you run an instant PR campaign that combats the effect of such negative search results.

Also Read:Online Reputation Management:Challenges & Expert Solutions

• Well performing PPC ad text can also become an appropriate Meta tags description. What works well for PPC also works well for SEO. Copy of your better converting ads can give you a fair idea about what headings and content your visitors find relevant.

Is PPC the best way to target local searches?

PPC campaigns especially AdWords make it easy for you to target ads specific to certain locations. Enhanced campaigns, recently launched by Google facilitate the same. Another lesser known option for local advertising is Google AdWords Express which is beneficial for advertising within a range of 15-40 miles from your business location. The same way you can have ads on local online platforms and social media websites.

For those who think SEO is not targeted for local searches are surely losing out. After Google’s Penguin 2.0 update, it has become easier to get your business noticed locally. All you need to do is build a strong citation profile for your local business, promote your content online on local platforms, and spread the word through online PR and social networks.

Is it possible to measure ROI on SEO and PPC?

• People still invest in PPC because it is easy to track return on investment through Click-through Rate (CTR), Bounce Rate and Cost Per Conversion (CPC). Apart from immediate returns, you have the authority to launch, edit, boost or shut down any campaign as and when you want.
• Contrary to popular belief, returns from SEO can be accurately measured through your website’s Analytics account. By checking Channel’s Report in Google Analytics you can clearly know which organic search result, 3^rd party article/blog, or social profile is getting you traffic and how many are actually converting. You can accordingly plan your future strategy. SEO is no longer a one-time investment as it requires regular efforts but it does give you ever increasing returns if done ethically. Unethical SEO techniques can give you immediate returns but only for short duration.

How much should I spend on both?

Depending on your marketing objective, budget should be a balance between both SEO and PPC management. No website will perform well on search engines soon after its launch. That time, you need to dedicate almost equal proportions of your budget to both PPC and SEO management. Spending can be reduced on either of the two, depending on the requirement.

With a decent budget, planning and professional assistance, you can greatly improve success chances of your web venture. Consult FATbit experts for questions and queries regarding two of the most popular marketing mediums.

PPC & SEO co -optimization generate visitors and business in a unique way and it simply doesn’t make sense to embrace one & ignore the other. If you have plans to grow at faster pace and generate relevant traffic from multiple sources, then, go for a cocktail of SEO and PPC.

So, SEO, PPC or both which one will you choose to scale up your online business?