SEO vs. PPC: Which Marketing Strategy Is Right for You

When trying to grow their brand, new businesses have multiple strategies at their disposal. Two of the most effective strategies available to young entrepreneurs to help them improve their marketing efforts are Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Pay-Per-Click (PPC) – SEO vs PPC. Unfortunately, many young business owners incorporate a company to bring their product or service to people, and may not have a strong marketing background.

For young business owners who are not familiar with marketing strategies, it could be difficult to choose between SEO vs PPC. If you find yourself in this situation, consider yourself in luck. We’ve provided you with an SEO v. PPC breakdown below that should help clarify the pros and cons of the two strategies, allowing you to determine which is best for the business you have recently incorporated.

What Is SEO

Search Engine Optimization is a marketing strategy that allows businesses to obtain organic leads. By achieving high rankings in natural search results, companies can drive traffic to their website without having to pay a premium. Thus, SEO strategies involve getting your company’s site to display prominently on high-ranking search pages.

If a company wishes to implement this strategy, they could find it to be well worth their while. However, it often takes a while to see success from this strategy, as it takes time for your webpage to appear near the top of natural search results. While businesses will not have to pay for the leads directly, they will have to pay indirect costs, such as employee labor. However, if a company implements a successful SEO marketing campaign, it could be an excellent investment.

Even with indirect costs, SEO marketing campaigns are one of the cheaper options available. Thus, they could be an excellent option for new businesses who have limited funds. If you cannot allocate $5 to $10 per day toward marketing efforts, you may be better off choosing an SEO marketing strategy.

Furthermore, you should see how competitive your keywords are. If a few major players dominate the keywords you wish to use, it would be almost impossible to increase your leads organically. In this case, you may need to consider alternative options.

What Is PPC

The other primary option that companies have to improve their marketing efforts is Pay-Per-Click. With this strategy, companies pay for web traffic. Thus, the results are considered inorganic, compared to the organic results of SEO. Although it costs money to implement this strategy, businesses may find that they will see results more quickly when applying this type of campaign.

Businesses will need to use a service such as Yahoo Search Marketing or Google Adwords to implement a Pay-Per-Click campaign. If you’re looking for an example of a PPC campaign, search for a word or phrase on Google. Do you see the links at the top that say, “Sponsored?” These are all websites that have been placed there as part of a PPC campaign. Because the company paid money, their website places ahead of the organic search results.

An average search term of keyword costs $5 – $10 per day, which can add up considerably if you are on a limited marketing budget. Additionally, you’ll want to look into the type of keyword you plan to market or the industry you’re a part of before you decide to go with a PPC campaign. That’s because specific terms cost more than others. For example, a PPC campaign based upon the keyword “auto insurance” could cost nearly $25 per day.  

Use Both SEO And PPC Together

Many entrepreneurs feel as though they need to choose between SEO vs PPC when this is just not the case. In fact, the best ways to use the strategies are in conjunction with one another. Doing so can not only improve your business’ positioning significantly, but it is also one of the best ways to drive web traffic and convert leads.

By combining SEO and PPC into a comprehensive marketing strategy, new business owners can pinpoint critical data points, allowing them to analyze customer behavior and intentions better. It could also afford young entrepreneurs the opportunity to see the location and geography of their consumer demographics better.  

By having access to this information, companies can better streamline their marketing strategy. This is particularly vital for new businesses that need to maximize their funds. Thus, using SEO and PPC together can help companies achieve more “bang for their buck,” which could help with growth considerably.  

Statistics show that implementing a marketing strategy that uses both SEO and PPC practices could improve multiple aspects of your campaign. For instance, you could see an increase in organic web traffic of up to 30 percent and an increase in paid web clicks of up to 25 percent. Additionally, businesses can save approximately 35 percent on advertising spending, which could help drive their quarterly profits by more than 20 percent.  

One of the best things that companies can do when combining these two strategies is to modify their organic keyword strategy. This allows them to optimize content so that it better-matches customers within specific geographic locations. Many new companies feel that this is not relevant to them, but that is not the case. Even new businesses can streamline their marketing efforts so that they can reach people on the local level, spanning across towns or counties.

Additionally, companies can fine-tune their PPC efforts so that there is a greater chance of success. Business owners can run PPC advertisements in popular target markets during a particular time frame. This can improve the likelihood of conversions significantly, as businesses are more likely to connect with customers who will find themselves interested in the good or service offered.  

Instead of choosing one side of the SEO vs PPC debate, you should consider implementing both, if it’s within your budget to do so. While new companies are often strapped for funds, they should remember that marketing efforts are an investment in their company. Putting a bit of money into an initial marketing campaign could help increase leads or sales, which will spark cash flow.