With the advent of the Internet, more and more people are using search engines like Google to search for the products and services they need. The search engine has become an essential medium that influences a buyer’s purchasing decision.
The chances of people searching your website through search engines is better than landing directly there. Therefore, a strong presence in search engine results becomes important for businesses.
Search engine optimization (SEO) and pay per click (PPC) are the two most important marketing strategies to drive a visitor to a website.
SEO is a combination of different strategies and techniques used to boost the number of visitors to a website by improving its ranking in the biological results of a search.
A high ranking in search engines means a high number of visitors, high conversion rates, and high revenue. SEO includes techniques such as keyword research, SEO auditing, on-site optimization, off-site optimization, competition analysis, and evaluation of results.
PPC is the most popular form of search engine advertising. Google allows advertisers to display their ads in the Sponsored Results section. When their ads are clicked, the advertiser pays the search engine a certain amount.
Clicks on the advertiser’s website direct the visitor. Therefore, instead of systematically earning search visits, a business purchases one-way visits to its site.
Both methods are intended to persuade users to come to your website and increase traffic.
SEO vs PPC
Both approaches have their merits and demerits, and before deciding on a better strategy for your business, you should consider the following points:
1. The amount you want to spend on marketing should be taken into consideration. If you are working on a tight budget, PPC may not be a possible option and may increase your expenses. PPC allows benefits such as:
- The primary purpose of any website is to drive traffic and increase conversion rates (CRs). And website variables have to be tested to work on weak points and improve CR. PPC can be used to buy necessary traffic and reach results quickly.
- The search engine’s algorithm changes every now and then. Sites adapted to one type of algorithm suffer when the algorithm changes and new updates are required immediately. But when paying for each click, you are immune to changes in the algorithm.
2. The cost per click (CPC) is different for different keywords and phrases. Use the ‘Traffic Estimator tool to find the average cost for any keyword/phrase. Make sure that the average cost of your specific keyword is not too high.
3. Analyze how strong is the competition in your target market? Use the ‘Google External Keyword Research Tool’ to estimate the level of competition in your industry.
You may find that authority websites mostly command your specific keywords. Displacing such sites to make room for your website in the market is quite a complex task. Instead, it makes more sense to use PPC services in this case.
It is not necessary that only one of the two strategies is used. The combination of the two can be used to make a powerful impact.
