Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising are two common phrases which have been thrown around the digital marketing arena. Although the key focus of both of these processes is to increase quantity and quality of traffic to a website, they are two separate concepts which require a different approach and methodology. One question is often asked – which method should be used? The aim of this post is to answer this question.
Wait a second, what is SEO and PPC?
SEO is the process of improving the ‘organic’ ranking of a website on a search engine, where as PPC is a way of placing ads in the ‘sponsored links’ section of the search results. This is illustrated in the image below:
OK, so what’s the point of it?
Search Engine Marketing is extremely important. In fact, on average 80% of traffic to a website will come via a search engine.
So when should I use SEO?
It has been shown that the higher up the search ranking your site appears, the more people will click through. For example, 42% of people will click the first search result compared to only 12% who click the second result, and 8.5% the third result. So it clearly pays to be higher up the search rankings.
However, SEO is a slow process, and it can take weeks or even months before your site starts to move up the rankings. Having said that, the benefits of SEO are long term – once your website reaches the higher end of results, you are likely to enjoy sustained traffic. If your SEO efforts are maintained, you can stay on top for a long time and reap the rewards of a good ranking.
Although SEO usually involves more work than PPC advertising, in general people trust the organic results more than PPC results. PPC is essentially straight-forward advertising with the adverts usually appearing highlighted. Most internet users notice this distinction and have become naturally averse to clicking on advertisements. Furthermore it is estimated that around 60-80% of internet searchers will click on an organic result compared to a PPC advert.
When should I use PPC?
If immediate results are required, then PPC is the option for you. PPC adverts can be set up in a matter of minutes, and with just a few clicks your adverts will be active on the search engines. For this reason, PPC advertising can work extremely well for new product launches, event focussed marketing, or seasonal promotions.
PPC advertising is also extremely effective for highly targeted campaigns. Adverts can be set up to target specific geographical locations during particular times of the day, and some PPC platforms (such as Facebook) even provide targeting by age, gender, hobbies, marital status, etc.
Finally, sometimes it can be almost impossible to get a website high up in the search rankings. Competition may be intense, and SEO requires regularly updated, content-rich sites. If this is the case, then PPC may be the only way you can get your site on the first page of search results, generating the increased traffic you desire.
Simon Brooke is Digital Director at Happy Creative, a full service marketing agency based in Blackpool, Lancashire. To learn more or contact us please go to www.happy-creative.co.uk
