Our clients often ask us about the difference between pay-per-click advertising (PPC) and search engine optimization (SEO).
SEO is the process of promoting a website with the aim of improving its positions in search results for specific queries. Pay-per-click advertising (PPC) is a type of advertising in search engines that involves paying for each click.
In this article, we will focus on Google, as this search engine controls the largest share of the market. So, let’s take a detailed look at PPC vs SEO.
What Is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?
Before comparing these two digital marketing strategies, let’s start by explaining what each of them is.
Did you know that, on average, one in three users views paid results and then chooses the first organic result displayed for their search query?
SEO is a tool that helps improve your website’s positions in search engines. Google determines SEO rankings based on numerous factors. These include backlinks, bounce rate, the keywords you target, and much more.
What Is Pay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC)?
PPC (pay per click) means that an advertiser pays for every click a user makes to visit a website.
PPC advertising involves PPC specialists creating advertising campaigns to attract users to your website. To do this, they research keywords that can bring potential customers.
To set up a campaign, they write text ads and set a maximum bid per click. Every time a user clicks on an ad, the advertiser is charged for displaying the advertisement.
For companies with a small budget, it can be difficult to justify the cost of attracting visitors when you can achieve the same result through search engine optimization.
It is important to remember that there is a difference in the quality of leads that come to your website through paid marketing compared with organic search.
According to 55% of B2B marketers and 65% of B2C marketers, PPC advertising is the most effective way to promote a website.
Advantages of SEO
One of the biggest advantages of SEO is that it increases your brand awareness by presenting your brand to your target audience based on their search queries.
The best part is that it costs significantly less than PPC advertising.
However, it would be unfair to say that SEO is completely free. Although there is no direct payment per click, developing SEO still requires employees’ time.
Nevertheless, if you manage to run successful SEO campaigns and achieve high positions for relevant search queries, you will see that the return on investment from organic traffic will be higher than that of traditional forms of advertising.
Another advantage of SEO is increased authority. When users see that your website ranks highly, they assume that if Google considers you an authoritative and trustworthy source, they can trust you as well.
Advantages of PPC Advertising
One of the main advantages of PPC advertising is the high visibility of ads. Advertising placements occupy positions from first to fourth.
Even if many users only view the ads without visiting your website, you still increase your brand awareness.
For online stores, PPC advertising allows you to display visual ads that contain a product image along with its price.
Finally, setting up a PPC campaign is much faster than improving your ranking in search results. While it may take months to see your website at the top of the search results page, a PPC campaign can be created and launched in just a few days.
As you can see, both strategies have significant advantages.
What Should You Consider Before Choosing PPC or SEO?
As with any decision, there are internal and external factors that will affect the success of your online marketing campaign.
First, you need to study the level of competition and cost per click (CPC) in your industry, determine the search volume and popularity of keywords relevant to it.
The key is to find keywords that receive a large number of searches but have a limited number of competitors.
Depending on your product, the first page of search results may be dominated by major players in your industry. For example, if you specialize in athletic clothing, you will have to compete for rankings with brands such as Adidas.
Another external factor is the average cost per click in your industry. Continuing with the previous example, the average cost per click for the keyword phrase “yoga pants” is UAH 2.50. This means that a new player in this industry can compete with major players by promoting their website through paid advertising campaigns.
On the other hand, in some industries, the average cost per click is significantly higher. Some of the most expensive keyword phrases can exceed UAH 50 per click, for example, “real estate”.
Finally, you need to consider your advertising budget. You can run a campaign with a budget of just UAH 200–300 per day if that is what your budget allows.
Even with minimal spending, PPC advertising gives you the tools to actively test your website and user behavior.
The Possibility of Using PPC and SEO Together
Ultimately, the most successful strategy is not about choosing between PPC and SEO.
The best option is to use these strategies together to create an integrated online marketing campaign.
By using them together, you can quickly and effectively increase traffic and, consequently, increase sales on your website.
