When it comes to boosting traffic to your website, you have two basic options: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) or Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising. You can pay for traffic using the PPC advertising programs provided by Google Adwords, Yahoo Search Marketing, and others.
They allow you to be seen when people are searching for services you offer. ? Then, you pay based on how competitive your selected keyword is, whenever a viewer clicks through from your ad to your website.
So this is one of the general questions asked by managers of small-to-medium businesses.
Which is better for my brand, in the long run, SEO or PPC?
The answer to this question isn’t that simple but it’s really worth asking and it’s definitely worth understanding.
Search marketing deserves a multi-faceted approach that begins with a strong organic foundation that can, and should, be supplemented and enhanced with pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns to further increase exposure and increase conversions.
But firstly, it is a MUST to ensure that the website is in a sound state for success with a couple of key elements in place like the implementation of general SEO best practices, user-friendly, search-friendly and technically sound website, as well as visually and aesthetically appealing and pleasing website which is really presentable to Google.
Once most of my mentioned things are in place, it’s the high time for PPC. Moreover, it is quite beneficial and for some brands even crucial to accompany PPC campaigns to go beyond the limited organic reach for the brand and/or its website.
But let’s get into this deeper!
First, it needs to be established that organic search drives drastically more traffic to websites than paid search.
AÂ study published by Conductor in 2014Â shows that organic search is responsible for about 64 percent of all site traffic, while paid search generates only 6 percent.
That paid traffic likely consists of more qualified visitors that are further down the buyer funnel and more likely to convert, but the overwhelming amount of traffic generated from organic search can and should never be ignored in this debate.
Always keep in mind, it wouldn’t make much sense to invest ad dollars into a website that doesn’t perform well, that has a lot of broken links, that is a confusing one etc…
Sure the result to some extent would be an increase in traffic and conversions, but it would be impossible to recreate the number of incoming traffic that comes from the organic search.
In this case, there needs to be a responsible budget that would span years.
The longevity of marketing superiority is unlikely in this instance.
That’s another reason why a solid organic presence is critical to the all-around success of a website.
Let’s see what answers gives one of the famous Digital Marketing blogs Search Engine Journal to the common questions about this topic!
What’s Best for an Immediate Impact?
A paid search would offer an immediate lift to your website’s performance, but once you stop investing, so does the lift.
What About Enterprise-Level Websites?
When an enterprise-level brand stops placing PPC ads, it will likely see that same dip in performance, just like any other website.
And let’s not forget the fact many enterprise websites have already built a quality web presence through various organic signals, so enhancing that visibility with paid placement not only makes sense but will catalyze even further improvement.
Which is Right for Your Business?
If your budget is limited and you’re faced with deciding between the two marketing practices, you’ll have to examine these factors:
·        The current status of your website.
·        Your website’s level of organic visibility.
·        If you have or are currently using paid search.
·        The goals of your website and brand.
·        Where the majority of your site’s traffic comes from.
·        How your brand, product, or service fit into a searcher’s buyer journey.
Like anything else in digital marketing, much of your next steps will depend on the unique scenario of your brand, your website, your goals, and the people you hope to convert.
For more SEO & PPC tips and strategies that will help boost your inbound marketing results, meet Digilite team, we are always ready to hear your story.
