It is well-known that both PPC and SEO are two of the best ways to create brand awareness and drive traffic.
70% of marketers prefer SEO over PPC as concluded in the poll conducted by Databox. But there are several confusions that may arise regarding both methodologies.
Which method will bring the best results in the budget? What can prove to be a more beneficial option for business growth? Also, can you use the hybrid approach in 2024?
This article will solve all your questions on SEO vs. PPC. By the end of this article, you’ll have a clear answer which approach is best as per your preferences.
How Does SEO Help Your Business?
Every business is investing in SEO, but why? Does SEO help a business grow?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is optimizing a website for higher search results ranking. Whenever a user searches online, they get a search result with answers from various websites. However, people don’t go ahead of the top pages on SERPs.
So, when a website ranks at the top of the search results, it will drive more traffic.
In terms of brands, more potential customers get to know a brand, its products, services, and specialties. Consequently, it brings better visibility and sales, benefiting businesses. For this reason, most brands are looking to invest in SEO.
Pros of SEO
Brings High-Quality Website Traffic
SEO brings organic traffic to a website. Also, it helps to target multiple sets of audiences. A good SEO strategy makes your website reach relevant websites interested in its content.
Since the audience is already searching for something that your brand provides, it increases the chances for conversions and sales. In this way, SEO brings high-quality traffic to a website.
Brings Better ROI
Whenever a brand selects a marketing channel, ROI plays a vital role. In terms of SEO, it brings an impressive ROI, although it takes time.
SEO brings $2.75 for every dollar spent or a 275% ROI as per a research done by Profitworks.
Also, the top result of Google gets 33% of the search traffic. The more search engine visibility brings the more web traffic. This higher web traffic generates higher revenue for your business.
Establishes Credibility And Trust In A Brand
People tend to click the first site that appears when they search online. They tend to trust top-ranking websites more. So, if your brand ranks higher in SEO, it will gain more credibility.
Search engines have a special algorithm for SEO. It puts helpful content in front.
Targets The Entire Marketing Funnel
The marketing funnel describes a customer’s journey from awareness to purchase, ending with loyalty and advocacy. It describes leads passing through various stages to become loyal customers.
You can target the audiences at a specific funnel level with a marketing strategy. But, SEO helps brands target audiences in the entire marketing funnel.
Contributes To Better PR
A significant way to improve SEO is by using backlinks. Consequently, an SEO expert looks for ways to get backlinks from news publications, listing sites, industry experts, influencers, and blogs.
On the other hand, PR strategists deal with the same set of people. So, establishing contact with them for backlinking purposes helps to improve PR with them too.
Cons of SEO
It’s Time-Consuming
SEO takes a lot of time to bring results. At the same time, there are a lot of aspects to look for if you want to do well with your SEO efforts.
A search engine considers many factors like the website’s size, domain name, quality and consistency of the website, backlinks, use of keywords, and more.
If you optimize your website for SEO, the search engine won’t instantly rank you at the top. It will improve rankings over time.
Bigger Competition
If you have a local shop, your competition will be with the shops in your area selling the same product or service. There will be limited competition.
But, there is a lot of competition on the internet. There are countless websites worldwide selling the same products and services as you sell.
Consequently, if you want consumers to choose you, then you must offer something unique from others. This competition makes it more difficult to bring results.
No Surety For The Results
Search engines rank websites based on their ranking algorithm. But that algorithm is kept hidden from the masses. Also, it keeps on changing time and again.
It means that even after optimizing your website for SEO, there is no surety for getting results. Along with your website performance and content, even competition will determine your rank.
Doesn’t Bring Instant Results
In the beginning, you will have to invest in SEO. However, it won’t bring immediate results. You won’t get a good rank and traffic in the first go. It takes a lot of time.
It requires time for search engines to improve your rankings. So, gradually it will drive traffic to the website.
Requires Constant Monitoring
SEO is a long-term strategy that does not bring instant results. Also, the algorithms of search engines keep changing time and again.
For instance, you must continue even after getting some backlinks and offering good content.
How Is PPC Beneficial For Businesses?
Pay-per-click, or PPC, is another popular form of digital advertising. Simply put, it means placing ads on the internet, and brands will pay each time a user clicks the ad. This gives it the name pay per click, which means pay for every click on the ad.
You commonly see such display ads when you search on Google, Bing, or Yahoo. Also, it includes paid social media ads. Different search engines have different kinds of PPC models. But the concept of paying for every click is the same.
Since these ads appear on top, they easily get the viewers’ attention, who may click on them. It helps to make your ad reach a wide range of audiences.
Pros of PPC
PPC brings more instant results than other advertising methods. Here are some advantages of using PPC:
It’s Cost-Effective
PPC is more cost-effective than SEO or other marketing channels. You have full control of your budget. Also, you can decide your target audience and the placement of your ads as per your budget.
So, you can easily balance your budget and pay only when you get clicks.
Brings Instant Results
SEO and other marketing methods that bring organic traffic don’t yield instant results. They take months to bring good results.
But, PPC can bring instant results. You need to design ads and start campaigns based on your objectives.
Has A Good ROI
For your PPC Campaign, you will get measurable results. Also, you will only pay whenever your ad is clicked. This can be improved easily.
Unlike SEO or other marketing channels, PPC is easier to measure. Also, you can improve the ROI by optimizing your ads and your campaign.
It Does Not Depend On The Algorithm
SEO and its results depend on algorithms. At the same time, the algorithm is anonymous and keeps on changing. So, the results will not be stable or precise.
But, algorithms don’t impact PPC. You can easily prepare your present and future PPC campaigns without worrying about algorithms.
Easy To Produce
Unlike SEO, you need to learn any special skills or hire a professional to design and monitor PPC.
It is simple to set up a PPC ad campaign on special platforms. For instance, Google has Google Ads from where you can create and implement a successful PPC Campaign.
Cons of PPC
Need To Learn About Implementing Campaigns
PPC can be easy to set up without the need for experts. But, you must learn how to design and target posts for your relevant customer base.
Newcomers might not know about metrics and keyword use. So, there’s a steep learning curve when it comes to PPC.
Requires Investment For Implementing High Volume Strategy
Unlike SEO, you have more control of your budget and spending in PPC. Also, it is affordable if you place a limited number of ads.
However, if you want to implement a high-volume PPC strategy, it can be expensive. It needs more investment if you want the best placement and targets more keywords.
Can Be Risky
Although you target specific keywords related to your industry, PPC brings in organic traffic. For this reason, users who click the ad might not be interested in your product.
Consequently, you will get more traffic. But that traffic won’t necessarily be interested in making a purchase.
More Competitive
PPC is a popular method of advertising. It has become one of its disadvantages too. For instance, many keywords have a lot of competition for PPC ads.
It can gradually lead to an increase in the cost of PPC ads. Also, they require more effort to monitor the performance and analytics of the campaign.
If you have a limited budget, you might not be able to target popular keywords in your Industry.
Digitally Aware Audiences
At present, the audience has become more digitally aware. They can identify paid or sponsored ads easily. Also, they have a certain level of cynicism toward it.
Although, it doesn’t happen with all users and some clicks bring genuine results. While others deliberately avoid clicking on that display ad.
What Brings Better Business Growth SEO vs. PPC?
What brings better business growth, PPC, or SEO? The answer to this question depends on the goals of your brand.
You can choose SEO if you want:
- To establish a good brand reputation
- Organic traffic
- Get long-term results and organic traffic
- Want to target a more comprehensive set of audiences
While you can choose PPC if you want:
- To drive more traffic instantly
- Get more control over your spending
- Want to target a specific set of audiences
- Easily set up a campaign
Consequently, you can choose between SEO and PPC based on your requirements and goals.
Can SEO + PPC Work Together For A Brand?
Do you want the benefits of both SEO and PPC? If so, then you can implement a SEO+PPC approach for your brand. However, it will require more investment and the help of an expert or agency.
You’ll need content creation help, advertisement set up, and probably a virtual assistant to handle micro tasks.
SEO and PPC can together bring multiple benefits to a brand:
- Instant traffic, as well as long-term results
- Both organic and inorganic traffic
- Spreads quick awareness about a brand and establishes brand reputation over time.
- More options and scope to target audiences despite fierce competition
- Possibility to get rid of one method when it does not brings results and continue with the other
- Drives better sales
Summing Up
SEO and PPC are the two most effective approaches to digital marketing for driving traffic, sales, and growth of a business in 2024. As a brand owner, you must know about the two methods and read SEO vs. PPC statistics for reassurances.
Similarly, analyzing the pros and cons of SEO and PPC is vital before selecting the right one for your business growth.
Lastly, you can even consider combining both methods at a higher cost that brings the best results.
