SEO vs PPC

By Chase Keating | February 28, 2022

Many people may not know what the difference is between SEO and PPC, so we're going to break it down for you. While they are similar, there are a few key things that set them apart from one another. For starters, SEO is all about getting your website ranked higher on search engines through organic means such as content creation and link building. It is a long-term strategy that will take time to see results. On the other hand, PPC or pay-per-click advertising can be done on a more short-term basis with instant results if done correctly. The main difference between these two methods of advertising is how they use advertisers' money: while both have an upfront cost (costs associated with buying keywords, posts, copywriting etc.), SEO creates leads over time while PPC creates them almost immediately.

What is PPC?

PPC or pay-per-click marketing is an online marketing model where advertisers pay to have their website's link or ad shown on a publisher's website; typically search engine results pages (SERP), website networks, apps etc. The price paid for having your ad show up at the top of the list is based on an auction system, which means that you'll only be charged when people click your ads and not just because they saw them (hence the name "pay-per-click"). PPC is usually used by marketers who want immediate exposure (a new product launch or sale) with quick results but it can also be done in conjunction with SEO strategies since both are closely related.

What is SEO?

SEO is the process of optimizing your website to rank higher on search engines like Google, Yahoo or Bing. The main goal with SEO is usually to drive traffic that will turn into conversions through things like blog posts , articles, email marketing campaigns etc. While you can pay for ads in order to have people see them organically it would defeat its purpose since what makes these types of advertisements successful are their relevance within a user's search topic/intentions.

Should my business focus more on SEO or PPC?

Both! For most businesses, you should focus on both SEO and PPC. You'll be able to see the instant results of a quality PPC campaign which will begin to generate revenue immediately, and over time you'll start to strengthen your organic presence in search engines with an SEO campaign.

Even if you're a B2B business, both PPC and SEO can prove to be very effective. With PPC, you can target specific campaigns to your ideal customer through the keywords they are searching for.

SEO vs PPC: Which is the better form of marketing?

SEO and PPC both have their place, but it really depends on what you're trying to achieve as a company.

In short, if you want leads & sales quickly then go with PPC while those wanting long-term results should invest more into an organic campaign that focuses on content creation and social media marketing (key components of an effective SEO campaign). In our next

What do I need?

While both methods require some type of investment upfront regardless if it be time or money there are pros and cons associated with each method: SEO requires a long term commitment which can be pricey if you have to outsource the work and it takes time to see results. On the other hand, PPC campaigns are usually done in a shorter period of time when there is an urgency or immediate need for exposure/results but they also tend to cost more money since advertisers pay each time someone clicks their ad.

If you're wondering where to start, here's the process we recommend:

  • Create a website or landing page you're going to send traffic to and install advertising tracking (Google Ads Conversion Events, Facebook Pixel, etc.) and analytics systems (Google Analytics, Matomo,etc.) to the website to track data.
  • Launch a basic PPC campaign to get instant results and build your data set (The more data the advertising platform has, the better it will perform.
  • Begin optimizing your website for search engines through search engine optimization (SEO)
  • Create content to build your brand's reputation and SEO presence
  • Involve social media marketing
  • After a few days/weeks of building your advertising data set, launch an advanced PPC campaign that is targeted toward your ideal customer base with re-targeting methods.

SEO vs PPC: How do they differ?

First of all, we have SEO or organic search engine optimization; this is where you optimize your content (with keywords) so that when people search for those things on Google your site shows up at the top since it has great information related to their query. This takes time but once you reach page one rankings you'll see an increase in traffic over time. On the other hand with pay-per click advertising, when someone searches for something relevant to what your business offers then ads will show up directly underneath the organic listings: just like regular advertisements would

Since the cost of SEO is typically less than PPC, it can be a great way to build up your brand. Additionally, organic social media posts are free ways to market your business on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter for long-term marketing results.

Chase Keating is a digital marketing strategist and web designer. Chase writes about all topics regarding marketing!
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