Organic Vs. Paid Marketing strategies
When it comes to making your joint shine online, there are two heavyweight contenders in the ring: SEO and PPC. In SEO vs. PPC each has its own high points and Achilles heels. You should understand both before you start jumping into either one. That’s the goal of this piece, to get you up to speed on both and help you to know what is best for you right now and in the future.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising each have a role to play in aiming to drive traffic to your ritzy website, drum up leads and turn those window-shoppers into paying customers.
Each of these techniques has its own tempo, catering to different goals and timelines. So, let’s cut to the chase and break it down for you, so you can decide which one’s the best for your business!
What is SEO?
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization if you’re not hip to the lingo, is all about dolling up your website to catch the eye of those nosy search engines. It’s like putting on your glad rags to impress the big cheese at a speakeasy – you want to stand out from the crowd and get noticed, see?
Now, SEO is not simple. It’s got more moving parts than a Model T assembly line! You’ve got your on-page SEO, where you’re jazzing up your website’s pages with just the right words and tags. Another part of on-page SEO is your technical aspects, where your site runs as smooth as bathtub gin. Finally, you have your user experience, how people navigate your website and use it, on both desktop and mobile devices.
Then there’s off-page SEO, which is like getting the word out on the street – you want other reputable joints linking back to your place. This can be done not just by having great articles on your website but useful tools and other resources as well.
And that’s just the start. A well-organized SEO campaign has a mountain of research behind it. From keyword research to competitive analysis, link building strategies, and much more.
It takes expert eyes to not only handle the Search Engine side of things but also the human side. SEO today, when done correctly, sits at the corner of marketing to people, and catering to the machines that grab the morning news for search engines.
The Payoff of SEO
Once you’ve climbed that search engine ladder, you’ll be sitting pretty with a steady stream of organic traffic. It’s like having a line of customers stretching around the block, all eager to see what you’re selling. Plus, when Joe and Jane Public see you up there in those top search spots, they’ll think you’re the real McCoy – trustworthy and authoritative.
But here’s the rub. It’s a slow burn, like aging a fine whiskey. You might be twiddling your thumbs for three to twelve months before you see any real simoleons coming in.
So, what's PPC then?
PPC, or Pay-Per-Click, if you’re not savvy to the shorthand, is the fast lane of digital marketing. With PPC, you’re shelling out clams for every Tom, Dick, and Harry who clicks on your ad. You’re paying to get people in the door, regardless of a sale.
Setting up a PPC campaign is like orchestrating a complex dance number.
You’ve got to pick your keywords like you’re choosing the perfect feather for your fedora – they’ve gotta be just right. Then you’re scribbling out ad copy for your landing pages. And don’t forget about targeting! You want to make sure your ads are hitting the right crowd, or you might as well be selling ice to Eskimos.
The upside? It’s faster than a Model T with a souped-up engine! You flip the switch, and bam! Your catching eyes quicker than you can say “23 skidoo.” You’ll also have a much easier time directly attributing your return on investment for PPC. With fast data for what is and is not working in your ads, you can quickly mix things up to see what is and is not working. PPC, though not the best way to get it, can also give you some level of brand awareness, but not in the same way that a good SEO campaign can.
PPC also lets you bid on the space above just keywords, you can also bid on names for established brands and competitors. If someone is looking for something a competitor offers by searching for their name, then you should look at bidding on that same ad space to let people know there are more options.
But here’s the catch – PPC can burn through your bankroll faster than a high-stakes poker game. Remember your bidding on clicks. So, every click costs you, whether it turns into a sale or not. And others are bidding too, driving up costs for competitive keywords. Campaigns can quickly become stale, making people become numb to your ads. And that’s if you get the 1% of clicks that go to an ad. Ads can also quickly become stale and need refreshing. You don’t want to burn out your potential customers and make them blind to your advertising.
The Payoff of PPC
You get customers, data, and sales faster than you can get a shoeshine on main street. Done right, each click on your ad is at a potential customer. To top it off you don’t have the same kind of wait time to see the effects of your changes, good or bad. Speed that you pay for is the name of the game with PPC.
Comparing SEO & PPC
Alright, time to put these two heavyweight champs in the ring and see how they measure up. Let’s see how SEO & PPC match up for speed of results and staying power.
Speed of results
For SEO it’s a slow aging process that takes time but gets you more traffic for less money in the long run. For PPC, it’s a drag race, fast results, but stops dead in its tracks once the money runs out.
As we said above, SEO can take anywhere from a few months to a full year to fully get up and running. This depends on a wide array of factors. You can see the breakdown of the life cycle of an SEO campaign detailed here.
PPC is almost instant, in as little as a few days you’ll see results. It depends on what keywords you are targeting and if your bids are enough.
How long will the results last?
When it comes to staying power, SEO is the tortoise in this race. It keeps on providing value long after you’ve put in the work. So long as you keep things ship-shape with regular audits and maintenance. These refreshes keep you up to date and ensure that the buzz you have generated does not die down as the competition keeps coming.
PPC is more like a firework show – spectacular while it lasts, but once you stop feeding it greenbacks, the show’s over, folks.
So, what’s the final word? If you’re in it for the long haul, looking to build your brand and keep a steady stream of customers coming through the door, SEO is your best bet. But if you need to make a splash fast – maybe you’re launching a new product or running a new promotion – PPC is gonna be your go-to guy.
The Importance of Keyword Research in Both SEO & PPC
Now, let’s gab about the bread and butter of both these marketing strategies: keyword research. It’s like being a detective in the digital age.
Targeting the right keywords for both requires in-depth knowledge and research of your customers, what keeps them up at night, and what they might be thinking when they type something into Google.
That’s just the start, as a potential customer moves from one stage to another, and even after a purchase. Their search terms will change. This is where you need to cover all your bases and find things that people will be searching for, when they start to notice a problem all the way to after they buy your product or service to solve it.
One slick move in PPC is using negative keywords. Where SEO is going to want to target all your selected keywords, PPC might not want to. These negative terms are things that you don’t want to be spending your money on but might come up as “related”. It’s not as bad as it once was when I started but it can still happen if you are not carefully examining your keywords.
I can tell you a quick story about some keyword research I did for a client. It was a precious metals company, and some of the suggestions that we got from the keyword tools were hilarious. “Silver sneakers” was the standout. I’m pretty sure someone looking for a 65+ running club is not interested in silver bullion with that search. Hopefully this little aside shows you why you should be verifying all of your keywords, and not just using what a tool suggests.
An Integrated SEO and PPC Approach
Now, here’s where things get interesting, like a plot twist in a dime novel. What if, instead of choosing between SEO and PPC, you played both sides of the fence?
By running with both SEO and PPC, you’re creating a synergy that’s smoother than a jazz quartet.
For savvy operators, PPC can get fast results while the SEO fly wheel is spinning up. And it can provide useful information about the effectiveness of your keywords if you are uncertain about specific ones.
When it comes to brand awareness, running both SEO and PPC is like having your name up in lights on both sides of the street. You’re maximizing your visibility, making sure that whether folks are window shopping through organic results or eyeballing the paid ads, your joint is the one they can’t miss.
As you move from just needing traffic, to getting it organically with SEO, you can refocus your PPC efforts to retarget customers with reminders about your website.
Did you get an organic click on one of your websites? You can use those targeted ads to remind them about you. Letting you keep the interest that you gained from SEO at the top of your customer’s mind. This drives down your expenses and helps you to stay top of mind with interested people. Side stepping much of the bidding war that can happen in PPC.
Remember what I said about bidding on your competitor’s brand names? Well, you can do the same with SEO. Writing and producing content that compares and contrasts (fairly) your offers with that of your competitors. Combine this with PPC doing much the same and you can have an incredibly effective marketing campaign. Going after customers that you know you want and are already looking for something like what you’re offering.
Now, trying to juggle both might leave you feeling like you’re herding cats. It takes some serious know-how to keep both plates spinning. So, if you are looking at moving one or both to an outside party there are some things you should keep in mind.
Most digital marketing agencies that offer PPC do so at a percentage above what you are spending on ads. So, if you shell out $110 clams to them, they’ll spend $100 on ads and pocket the rest for managing the campaign.
Fair shakes, but remember, a good SEO campaign will help to drive down how much you need to spend to see the same kind of traffic. So, it might be a good idea to keep these efforts with separate agencies. Since if you need start needing to spend less on PPC because of SEO then they take a hit to their bottom line.
This said, merging SEO and PPC in a complete package for your business will give you the best aspects of both. Authority, organic traffic, and rankings from SEO. Targeted advertising with leads and sales quickly from PPC. Both working hand in glove to make you the top choice for your brand.
Key Questions to Ask Marketing Agencies about SEO or PPC
When you’re shopping around for a marketing agency to help with your SEO or PPC, you gotta know how to separate the wheat from the chaff. Here are some questions that’ll help you spot the real McCoy:
We have a comprehensive list of questions to ask an SEO agency that you can look at here. We probably hate SEO snake oil more than you, so we want you to be educated enough to avoid it.
But here are some highlights.
For SEO:
1. “What’s your process for keyword research?” You want to make sure they’re not just throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks.
2. “Can you show me some examples of your past SEO wins?” A good agency should have more success stories than a pulp fiction writer.
3. “How will you help us stay ahead?” The only constant in SEO is change, so they better be light on their feet.
4. “How do you measure success?” You want to know if you are getting fleeced.
For PPC:
1. “How do you structure campaigns?” You want to make sure they’re not just burning through your bankroll like a drunken sailor.
2. “What’s your strategy for optimizing PPC campaigns?” They should have more tricks up their sleeve than a carnival magician.
3. “How do you make sure your ad copy and landing pages are in sync?” It’s gotta be smoother than an auctioneer.
4. “What kind of systems do you use to keep tabs on PPC performance?” They better have more tools than a hardware store to track every last nickel and dime.
Linking SEO and PPC covers all of your bases
So, there you have it, folks – the lowdown on SEO and PPC. These two strategies might seem as different as cats and dogs, but understanding how they tick is crucial for any business looking to make it big in the digital world.
Remember, it ain’t about choosing one or the other – it’s about finding the right mix that’ll make your business sing. Maybe you start with PPC to get the joint jumping, then ease into SEO for the long haul. Or perhaps you go all in on both from the get-go. Whatever you choose, make sure it fits your goals.
In this digital age, standing still is the same as going backwards. So, if you are ready to bring in professional and proven SEO strategies to your digital marketing roster, contact us and we’ll help you to bring in traffic that doesn’t just window shop, but buys.
