PPC vs. SEO: How to Find the Perfect Balance for Your Site

When it comes to marketing your website, there are two major tools that marketers must consider: pay per click “PPC” ads, and search engine optimization “SEO”. While a solid campaign will incorporate both into the mix, one will take precedence over the other, depending on your needs and budget. So how do you know when to focus on each form of web marketing?

The Case for PPC

Pay per click marketing allows you to pay for search engine placement – presumably on Google – so that consumers can easily find your products and services as they search for them. The only downside to PPC campaigns is that the success only lasts as long as the budget continues feeding it. However, PPC provides incredible advantages for any business looking to exponentially grow their brand and improve sales. Benefits of using PPC include:

• Immediate results. Within minutes, you can have an ad up and running on Google, Facebook, or any other major site. Unlike SEO, you don’t have to wait for the search engine’s algorithm to take effect. Instead, simply create the ad and allow the PPC campaign to do its thing.

• Analytics. You can view the statistics concerning your ad campaign so that you can make adjustments looking forward. Study what did and didn’t work and modify it as needed to get the most out of your marketing budget.

• Focus. With PPC, you can market your entire website or focus on promoting a specific landing page. Because you provide the link that will be used to redirect users when they click on the ad, you have complete control over what pages of your site will be viewed.

The Case for SEO

Search engine optimization focuses on making your site index-friendly for search engines. This means that over time, your site will begin ranking higher and higher for the keywords that people are searching for related to your product or services. Benefits of SEO include:

• Long-term results. Unlike PPC, SEO will drive traffic to your website even after a particular campaign has ended. There’s a relatively long gestation period, but the results are equally long-lasting and will deliver consistent results whether or not you continue funding the effort.

• Higher ROI. Because SEO provides long-term results, you get a greater return on your investment, eventually. Sure, the return might not be immediate, but the results will continue to pay off even after the campaign has ended.