Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Pay-Per-Click (PPC) are both potent techniques for digital marketers to increase the popularity of their websites. The two techniques use very different approaches to reach the same desired goal – lots and lots of visitors. Which one is better? Well, that question has a subjective answer. Which strategy will suit you better will depend on your marketing goals, how deep your pockets are, and what market you are operating in. Let’s delve into the details.
Organic Vs Paid
This is the fundamental difference between the two types of marketing techniques. SEO is a process. You find out keywords, target them on your website and social media pages, and create strategies to make sure that you are visible to your intended audience. This is an organic way to create awareness about your brand. On the other hand, PPC is pretty much like buying ad space. You pay for the ad placement, and you will get your ad featured as per your instructions, as long as you are paying.
Targeted visibility and control on placements
SEO is playing by the rules of the search engines. When you are using effective SEO techniques, your ranking in the search engine results will improve. However, you do not have much control on where your website it placed in the actual search results. On the other hand, with PPC, you can target exactly where you want your ad is placed. So, if you are looking for focused advertising, PPC is the solution for you.
Dependence on Search Engines
As already mentioned, SEO is all about sticking to the guidelines put in place by search engines. But, the flip side of the coin is that your visibility is entirely dependent on the search engines as well. So, you may be on top of the search engine rankings one day, but if the search engine policies change, you might be thrown to the far end of the search results. Even if that does not happen, you have to constantly work to keep your website on top of the search results. On the other hand, with PPC, you do not need continuous effort. You can start an ad campaign whenever you want, pay for it, and stop doing the ads, when you do not need the publicity any more.
Budget-Wise
Take a look at how generous you can be with your advertising budget. If you are a start-up that is bootstrapped for cash, then SEO is a better bet for you. Why? Because there are many free SEO techniques that you can implement to make your website more search-engine friendly. However, PPC has the word “pay” in it. You cannot have a free PPC campaign. You can adjust the amount of money you want to spend on a PPC campaign, but you will have to shell out some money on a daily basis. Depending on your budget, you can start with a minimum of $5 to $10 on daily PPC campaigns.
If you want to have a continuous stream of traffic to your website, then the best way to do it would be to use an integrated marketing strategy that leverages both PPC and SEO techniques. Also, both the techniques have their own pros and cons. Tweak your marketing plans so that you can reap the maximum benefits.
Comments are closed.
