subject: SEO vs PPC - a comparisson between the two website marketing techniques [print this page] SEO vs PPC - a comparisson between the two website marketing techniques
When your website has been conceived, polished and nourished by loving designers, one day it will leave the nest and take its first flight into the wild world wide web. Then what?
It will sink or swim depending on your marketing strategies. I often get asked what is the best way to market a website?
There are many ways but two of the major internet marketing jargon key phrases are SEO and PPC. So which is better?
Well this question is harder than you might think to answer. There will be many reading this article screaming at it shouting "SEO!" but let's take some time to consider this.
SEO or Search engine optimisation is a technique to get your keywords seen in search engine searches. Obviously if you can do this for free then surely this is "better" than paying for positions right? Well yes it is, but how many keywords are you targeting and are you showing up for all of those? And their respective combination's? If so congratulations you are doing very well. But how long did it take you?
The problem with SEO is that it takes time to get positions on keywords and even then there is no real guarantee. You are at the mercy of the search engine algorithms dictating where it would like to put you. Of course there are techniques to get you higher up the search engines but it takes time and there is competition which you can't just outbid. It is free in money terms but requires a lot of resourcefulness and time to get you website seen.
PPC or Pay Per Click is immediate in its effect. You can choose your keywords, target specific areas even target a specific age group, then create and ad and have it seen on search engines within minutes. True you can waste a lot of money if the PPC campaigns aren't setup properly but if they are, it is a brilliant form of advertising providing a good ROI.
PPC campaigns have to be devised right, targeting the right keywords tightly and monitoring conversions etc. But the tools available to get it right are amazing. You are in much more control of how you drive traffic to your website. The only downside is that it costs money, and is competitive.
If you website is providing a good enough ROI then in effect PPC is earning money and therefore a very good way to advertise. It is more immediate then SEO. But what if you stop your campaign? Well your traffic stops...
I think a balanced web marketing strategy for new websites or company websites wishing to drive more traffic is a bit of both PPC and SEO. PPC can be a great short term strategy to get your website and brand shown and drive conversions. But at the same time it makes sense to embark on an SEO strategy to get the "free clicks".
