SEO vs PPC – which is better for my business?
Both SEO and PPC have the same goal of driving traffic to web pages. However, both achieve this in completely different ways. The question is, which is better for your business: SEO or PPC?
There are two ways of getting to the top of search engine results pages (SERPS). Pay-per-click (PPC) or search engine optimisation (SEO). Both methods are website traffic powerhouses with the potential to grow your business. However, SEO and PPC are fundamentally different.
For some businesses, the short-term approach of PPC is ideal, whereas, for others, the long-term game of SEO is the smart approach. Either way, it’s essential that you prioritise your search rankings, seeing as 95% of clicks go to the top 4 results.
In this blog, we assess the pros and cons of SEO and PPC to help you decide which is the better course of action for your business.
PPC vs SEO – the pros and cons
The battle between SEO and PPC is a fierce contest between two opposing sides. Both marketing strategies have their benefits and negatives that contend directly with each other.
Like any tough decision, it’s good to weigh up the pros and cons. Have your list at the ready, starting with PPC.
PPC – the pros
PPC – the cons
Now for the ugly part. As with anything, there’s always a downside. The obvious for PPC is the cost in comparison to SEO. However, with PPC generating an average 200% return on investment (ROI), customers are certainly getting their money’s worth from PPC.
There are also suggestions that some people ignore PPC altogether. HubSpot reports up to 80% of users ignore PPC ads. However, when you combat this with claims from TechInjury showing 65% of customers click on PPC ads, we start to see that PPC generates many visitors to websites regardless of the preference to ignore.
All in all, PPC is a fast and effective japan email list form of digital marketing that helps big and small businesses cut through the digital noise.
SEO – the pros
If PPC is the hare running as fast as it can to the top of SERPs, then tips to solve reputation crises with email marketing SEO is the tortoise gradually gaining behind. But as we know, slow and steady can philippines numbers win the race. Now we’ve seen what PPC is bringing to the table, what about SEO?
SEO – the cons
The one flaw to SEO in comparison to PPC is it takes a while longer to see results. After all, SEO is a long-term investment requiring a proper strategy.
Even if you think you’ve done everything right to gain leverage on SERPs with an SEO campaign, there are no guarantees of success. Your content will be trusted over PPC but not necessarily visible within those top search results.
On the flip side, SEO holds the key to business sustainability. Once you start generating rich SEO-friendly content, backed by a solid strategy, there’s no reason why you can’t continually generate thousands of website visitors every month. You could literally make money while you sleep.
SEO vs PPC ROI
When it comes to comparing the ROI on SEO and it’s impossible to arrive at a definitive answer. Remember, every business has different needs and priorities.
For instance, a tutoring business with a low pricing model may find it harder to generate an ROI for some sessions. While an electrician with package maintenance services only needs a couple of leads to turn a profit.
Statistics suggest that PPC sees an average ROI of 200%, while SEO is frankly impossible to calculate. However, Impact Plus states 70% of marketers see SEO as more effective than PPC. But again, it all depends on what your business needs and the competition in your market.
How PPC and SEO can work together
Why choose when you can have both? SEO and PPC work together to form a cohesive digital marketing strategy. PPC will give you short-term success while SEO will take care of the long game. The bridge between SEO and PPC is collaboration and quality content. One side informs the other to produce a powerful digital marketing campaign.
PPC informs your SEO of high performing keywords and CTR in a matter of days. Comparisons can be made through:
- Headlines, title tags, and content
- Keywords and topics
- Different landing pages
In some cases, SEO can optimise your landing pages and work together with PPC to dominate SERPs. Having paid ads on top of SERPs with SEO blogs supporting beneath will advance your brand’s credibility, rankings, and presence.
So, it’s not a case of SEO vs PPC. It’s a case of developing a strategy that supports both of these effective forms of digital marketing.
If you require a full SEO and strategy, get in touch with eighty3 creative. As a trusted, dynamic and specialist digital marketing agency, we know what it takes to convert more customers.