Deciding on the best techniques to use when building a brand, online marketing is a very common problem.
When it comes to online marketing, SEO or PPC?
I have asked myself that very question, and the conclusion is that it depends. It depends on if you have a small budget or a big budget. It depends on what you’re selling and what your goals are. In some cases, one technique may be better than the other. In this post, we’ll break down the advantages and disadvantages of both techniques so you can decide which one will work best for you.
There is a lot of disagreement in the online marketing world regarding the best way to promote websites and brands. Many people swear by SEO, and others swear by PPC, but what’s the difference, and why do people have such a strong preference?
“The main difference between SEO and PPC is that SEO works best for long-term growth and brand development, and PPC works best for attaining short-term goals.”
Michael Winchester SEO
When it comes to online marketing, there are two broad techniques you can use: SEO & PPC.
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, It is the process of optimizing your website to rank above all the others listed in the search results for specific keywords, as well as the process of ensuring every inch of your website is properly optimized for search. It involves creating original content on your website, yes, content that people want to read and share, which then needs to be optimized so it can rank better in Google searches. SEO is all about getting people to find you online in order to increase revenue for your business.
PPC stands for pay-per-click, and this is a form of online advertising that allows you to drive paid traffic to your website. The main problem with PPC is that the traffic you are getting may not be exactly the customer base you are looking for.
SEO and PPC have a common goal with very different approaches. SEO is a long-term strategy that does not provide instant results. Using various strategies like writing for the readers, creating good quality content, doing site promotion and social media marketing etc. It can take a long time to rank for a particular keyword.
On the surface, SEO can appear to be more beneficial. However, Google’s algorithms are updated on a regular basis, which means that what was working yesterday might not work well today. When you rely solely on SEO, your website can go out of date quickly. It’s important to have a strategy in place that allows you to implement changes quickly based on the new updates.
With SEO as your foundation, you can build a strong reputation in your industry by publishing quality content to your website. When you have great content, people will want to share it, and start linking to your site.
The main advantages of SEO are:
1) SEO is real organic traffic; people find you based on search rather than ads.
2) SEO is more cost-effective when compared to pay-per-click.
3) SEO leads to more lasting customer relationships and helps in brand building.
There is another way to drive traffic to your website, and that’s PPC or pay-per-click. PPC can help drive traffic within a shorter span of time. The main advantage of PPC is that it provides instant results, and analytics also shows how people interact with your website when you pay per click. But PPC can be expensive if you are not using the right strategies, and it is important to maintain the quality of the traffic that you are driving through the use of pay-per-click.
The most important aspect is that once you get visitors through PPC, you need to know how to keep them on your website. If you don’t, then all that money that you have spent on pay-per-click will eventually go in vain.
The main advantages of PPC are:
1) PPC lets you advertise to a wide audience.
2) PPC lets you track your success easily.
3) PPC leads to more visual brand recognition.
SEO or PPC, which is better?
There is no definitive answer to that question. Every business and every marketing campaign is unique. Also, SEO and PPC can be used in tandem to create a powerful, organic, and local search engine marketing strategy that leads to increased brand awareness, sales, and profits.
SEO takes time to produce results, but it can be very powerful over the long term if done correctly. If you want to build up brand strength, SEO is the way to go. On the other hand, PPC can get you instant results, but it won’t work well if you’re trying to promote something that isn’t highly relevant or highly searched for yet.
Both these techniques should be used together as both of them have their own advantages and disadvantages. You can use both these techniques to achieve your business goals.
Website developer, field recordist, instrument builder. My background is largely based in design for the music industry; websites, micro-sites, and apparel. With that experience, I bring a fresh approach to corporate and construction-related web projects looking to stand apart from the competition. My goal is to help clients better understand different aspects of SEO and website development; I write short, easy-to-digest articles on search engine optimization and website performance-related topics.
In my free time, I enjoy field recording, sound design, and building unusual musical instruments.
Michael Winchester is a website developer and search engine consultant in Southern California.
Michael Winchester Design | (562)283-5688