PPC versus SEO

Often people ask whether they should opt for organic search improvement or paid search investment. Here I will look at the pros and cons of both online advertising strategies.

Organic Growth (SEO)
The main advantage of SEO is that no matter how many people click on your listing there will be no charge. This is not however the case; with the complexities involved in getting your site optimized effectively it will need a large investment to ensure that your site is programmed correctly and has all the necessary links and updates to do well. SEO is definitely a long term strategy as it can take anything from six months to a year and a half to attain a high page ranking. So the large initial payment can take a long period of time to pay off. Luckily, the results can last for a few years however, with the changes in technology, new algorithms and constant evolution of Google, it is unlikely that it will continue to be such a long term investment.

Paid Search (PPC)
PPC is where the search engines generate the majority of their earnings. The main benefit of PPC is that advertisers can gain an immediate first page listing. Not only this, but the budget is set by the advertiser so it can be as little or as much as the business can afford. For these two reasons PPC is by far and away the best strategy for small or new businesses looking to make an impact online.
Adwords applications such as Tracking and Analytics are very useful to analyse campaigns. The tracking code particularly helps to assign conversion costs to specific ads and keywords. This allows ineffective keywords and ads to be axed, allowing the budget to be assigned to top performers.

In conclusion PPC is the most effective way to make a quick impact online. Though this can be expensive, through continuous optimization, the cost of conversions can be brought down and the campaign will become more and more effective over time.

SEO will always be the best long term strategy but run alongside PPC to maximize online exposure, allowing both strategies to complement each other. If my website reached a top listing in SEO I would still recommend having a low listing on PPC. If nothing else you?re preventing your competitors gaining a position on the page.

Tanase Rivers - PPC Account Manager

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