PPC Vs SEO

PPC vs SEO – what’s the difference? In a nutshell, SEO is how you drive organic traffic to your website through optimising web pages. PPC are ads which you pay for and these appear at the top and foot of search engine results pages – SERPs. Alternatively, these are displayed on other websites.

Difference Between PPC And SEO

The massive difference between SEO and PPC is that with PPC advertising is paying for individuals to click on search engine ads which take them to your website. On the other hand, SEO is about creating and then promote content to get links, which then assists your site with ranking #1 on Google.

With PPC, results are fast and predictable however return on investment is mediocre (500-1 000% return on ad spend). With SEO, results are gradual and somewhat unpredictable, however return on investment is much better.

It’s quite essential to note that you are able to invest in SEO and PPC advertising simultaneously. These two tactics are not exclusive and a smart digital marketing strategy includes funds for both.

What Is The Difference Between PPC And SEO? Which One Is Better For My Brand?

The answer to these questions is that it depends on what you want:

• Do you want leads now, for example for an event?
• Are you ready to wait for results?
• What’s your budget that you can dedicate to this?
• Does your website have high domain authority?
• How highly do your competitors rank in organic search?

If you’re an SMME or a start-up organisation, you may not have the budget for paid advertising. With little competition, your SEO strategy could boost online visibility in local as well as organic search results. As a long-term digital marketing strategy, SEO won’t break the bank. When you’re ranking, traffic will be consistent.

Your market could be niche, which means that you may find a keyword which is relevant, has low competition as well as a good monthly search volume. Get in there fast and improve your SEO strategy in order to rank for this keyword, before someone else does.

If you’re an ecommerce website, who is looking to compete with the likes of Amazon, your website will struggle to outrank in organic search results. PPC paid ads could start the brand awareness campaign.

If your organisation has a generous advertising budget, make sure that you get the PPC ads live now. You’ll see results instantaneously. In addition, you can target specific audiences unlike handing over big bucks for a billboard that is only relevant to 10 out of 100 passers-by.

SEO and PPC are effective methods of driving traffic to a website. These are proven to bring results, working separately or together.

Can I Use Paid Advertising And SEO At The Same Time?

As you likely know already, bettering your website with SEO gives you a much better chance at ranking on the initial page of the SERPs, or even in the #1 position, for one or more keywords which you are targeting. In addition, buying PPC ads for that same keyword with a sufficiently high bid allows your ad to be seen near the top of the page when someone looks for that keyword.

If you perform both of these digital marketing strategies for that specific keyword — that is, optimise your website as well as purchase PPC advertising — you are making sure that your brand dominates the search results as well as that you have a better chance at a capturing those valuable clicks.

Is SEO Better Than PPC?

When comparing SEO and PPC, SEO can give you consistent results and increase the authority and value of your website. Whereas PPC can give you immediate results with a highly targeted audience within a time-sensitive period even if your website is not designed for SEO. SEO is very cost-effective and gives you a much higher return-on-investment.

Get in touch with the Digital School of Marketing

Want to become a PPC expert? If you do, then you need to do our PPC and Web Analytics Course. Follow this link to find out more.