SEO vs. PPC: Which IS BETTER FOR ME?

​When it comes to digital marketing with small businesses, one of the first questions we are asked about is SEO vs. PPC. What are the advantages and disadvantages And, more importantly, which one is better for me? 

​Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is simply about getting your website to rank higher in organic search results ​for target keywords. Whereas, Pay Per Click (PPC) is about paying for advertising space for specific keywords.

​If we look at the below Health Insurance example, the top four results are paid ads and appear at the top of the page above the organic listings which are influenced by SEO.

The big question is can people tell the difference between paid and organic search results? The answer is yes and no. Around half are unable to recognise ads in Google's search results, some people surprisingly don't know the difference between paid and organic ads. Basically, this means that paid search in some perspective do work and worth the investment. However, PPC isn’t for everyone and based on your marketing goals and budget it is important to determine before leaping into a PPC campaign.
​
Let’s take a look at some advantages and disadvantages:

SEO
Advantages:

• Cost effective – Its free! Compared to other marketing tactics such as PPC, print advertising and billboards for delivering brand awareness and relevant traffic to your website.
• Longevity - Traffic is durable. Once a ranking is earner it cannot be bought out from under you. It doesn’t require spend and doesn’t stop when spend is cut.
• Improved click – When your site appears in the organic results it automatically shapes your perceived credibility to consumers and gives users that stamp of endorsement.

Disadvantages:

• Results take time – ROI wont happen immediately and will require some care and time to build. A majority of SEO experts will tell you that it takes 4 to 6 months to start seeing results.
• Resources – SEO requires special attention to a number of moving parts, all at the same time and this requires resources which cost money such as systems, expertise and time.
• Algorithm changes – Search engines are consistently updating their algorithms and your SEO must be at its best to stay competitive.

PPC
Advantages:

• Immediate viability - If you’re a new business or website, it’s going to take some time to generate organic traffic. You can give your site an immediate boost with an ad campaign.
• Targeting - There are several targeting possibilities in paid search including keywords (for instance user search query matches) and audience (including demographics, location to behavior). You can control who is seeing your ads making every penny you spend count.
• Budget controlled - You can set the budget of how much you are prepared to spend on your campaign. If you are a small business and your marketing budget is limited, you have a lot of flexibility by pausing and stopping your ad spend right away.

Disadvantages:

• Longevity – In reality, it is impossible to constantly pour budget into a campaign that doesn’t bring in the much needed clients and sales. Marketing budgets quickly disappear leaving you with the dilemma should you quit paying for PPC advertising as it can be too expensive to be a long-term strategy.
• Uncertainty – You got the click but no sale. Sadly, your business still must pay for the click and there is no certainty that the user who clicked on your ad will purchase your product or service.
• Bidding war – Lets face it, everyone wants to be ranked number one on Google including your competition. A little bit of healthy competition won’t hurt anyone, right? Well when two or more companies are competing for the same keyword ranking with their campaigns it can turn vicious - the one with bigger budget wins!

​
In conclusion, the common perception is that PPC costs money and it brings instant results, whereas SEO is free, but takes a long time. With so many companies competing for space in Google searches, your digital marketing needs to be strategic rather than throwing excessive money from your marketing budget to outbid other companies for ad space. The importance of a digital marketing strategy with defined short and long term goals are essential in making an SEO or PPC decision.

Want to know more about PPC or SEO for your business? Get in touch with Little Steps Digital, we offer one on one consultation and SEO auditing services.

Contact Us