In addition to guest posting on the UpCity blog, BrandLume is featured as one of the Top PPC Agencies in Canada. Check out their profile!
What’s the best way to market your website online?
Two proven methods crop up continually: SEO and PPC.
Search engine optimization increases traffic to your site through traditional search results. You don’t pay to be listed and companies like Google rank your site for free.
Pay per click, on the other hand, drives targeted visitors through paid adverts. Ads appear above traditional results and can be 50% more effective than SEO.
This article examines the best ways to use PPC and SEO to market your business online. We look at what is SEO and PPC and how much they cost. Then we discover how each can be used to drive traffic to your site.
Read on to learn how PPC and SEO can provide the best way to market your business online.
What Is Search Engine Optimization?
SEO is a way of improving your website’s rankings on a search engine like Google.
SEO techniques add keywords or search phrases into the text/copy of your site. Each page’s content should be clear, useful, and descriptive, and your website’s navigation needs to be simple and straightforward.
Google’s guidelines clearly state what they look for in a high-ranking website.
Good SEO follows that advice. It doesn’t try to trick Google by creating content for computers, and it never uses backlinks from spam sites to try and boost popularity.
SEO is designed to rank sites high in the organic listings or traditional search results.
You cannot pay Google to be on page #1, and neither can you speed the process up; however, everything can be managed through the Google Search Console. Data there can pinpoint how effective your SEO performs over time.
What Is Pay Per Click Advertising?
PPC adverts allow businesses to show text, image, and video ads within the Google network.
Adverts only appear alongside targeted keywords, but, unlike organic results, advertisers get charged when a visitor clicks on their ad.
Google lets you target multiple keywords/phrases per ad campaign. Each has an associated cost per click or CPC. And your daily budget puts a cap on the amount you’re charged.
Ads appear above organic listings with a small ‘AD’ symbol beside them. Google also pushes ads throughout its network including Android apps.
How Much Do SEO and PPC Services Cost?
We know that search engines charge to display ads but what about SEO? Is it really free?
The short answer is no – all advertising costs money. And the main cost relates to time.
It takes time to research and collate the most effective keywords. It takes time to source the best backlinks from reputable websites. It takes time to produce quality content, not to mention skill. And you can’t do it alone.
SEO management services exist purely to increase traffic. But their fees are offset by their results. One month’s SEO can drive a lot more traffic for less money than high-cost PPC keywords.
How is that possible? Try Googling highest CPC keywords and you’ll see they charge $59 for the keyword ‘insurance’!
What’s the Difference Between SEO and PPC?
Although each marketing method drives traffic to your site, there are some major differences including:
- Timely results – PPC ads appear within 24 hours whereas SEO can take months to rank #1
- Targeted traffic – Google Ads lets you target visitors by region and device. SEO acts with a more ‘scattergun’ approach
- Ad distrust – many users ignore ads and instead click on traditional listings as ‘anyone’ can create an advert
- Return on investment – in the long-run, organic listings provide better ROI than pay per click
As you can see, each method offers advantages over the other.
For sites with a low-quality rating, PPC allows them to promote content outside of organic listings; however, SEO drives more traffic in the long term and is seen as more credible by many users.
Can only one marketing method be used at a time? Or can you combine them to drive more traffic to your site?
Combined Digital Marketing Strategies
The most effective approach to digital marketing is to harness the power of both PPC and SEO.
Here are some of the best ways that each assists the other in driving targeted visitors to your site.
PPC Data as SEO Keywords
Because PPC analysis reveals the most effective keywords, use that data in your SEO.
Include the highest-rated click-through terms within the content of your site. Create landing pages dedicated to those terms. And add them to your meta information, especially your title tag.
Blog articles, a cornerstone of modern SEO techniques, should include PPC keywords and variations. Just remember to write for a human and not a Google bot.
Ad Copy as Web Page Copy
Ad campaigns provide a clear and quick indicator of how effective copy/text is. You can see what descriptions and titles deliver the best results. So include them within the pages on your site.
Google doesn’t mark you down for duplicating your paid advertising text. So incorporate tried-and-tested copy within your organic listings.
And if you run the ad again, visitors will recognize the same content. This cross-promotes your message and strengthens your brand.
Google My Business
Formerly Google Local, Google My Business lets you engage with customers for free in a PPC-style listing.
You can upload photos, offers, and contact details to your business profile. You don’t even need a website.
Google automatically adds Maps functionality like directions. And customers can contact you directly from the profile. You can even analyze how many people connect!
Slips in SEO
When Google updates its ranking algorithm websites sometimes drop by several pages.
Usually, those sites incorporate poor SEO practices like spam backlinks. But if your organic traffic falls, use PPC until it’s fixed.
And don’t discount human error.
It’s easy to bypass links when scanning through the SERPs. That’s why Google positions PPC ads at the top of the page. Even if your customers miss the ad they’ll still see your SEO listing.
Brand Building
Use PPC to push your brand even if your site ranks well for your business name.
The result is a double-dose of your website. Your ad appears at the top of Google’s search results and in organic listings below. It cements your company and ties it directly to your brand name.
Effective SEO and PPC Campaigns
Now you understand how SEO and PPC can work independently or combine to drive traffic to your business. The best advice is to try both and see what works for you.
Google offers ad credits for new businesses so sign up and give PPC a shot.
But don’t forget about your website content and how driving traffic is only half the battle. You then need to convert them into paying customers.