Marketers always ask which is beneficial to a business SEO or PPC. There is no general answer to the question. It depends on the marketplace, current situations, and goals. Experienced SEO professionals recommend organic searches deliver more volume than paid searches and that too at a better per lead cost.
New businesses find it hard to gain traction with organic searches, so they can choose paid search to gain fast-track results. SEO Agency Los Angeles can help you to determine whether organic search, paid search or a blend of both is the right approach for your business needs. It is voted best Los Angeles SEO Company!
SEO [search engine optimization] versus PPC [pay per click]
The two major differences when you consider SEO or PPC are –
- Paid ads [PPC] appear on top of organic search listings [SEO].
- Clicks from organic search listing [SEO] are free, while you have to pay for every click in paid searches [PPC].
In many situations, PPC and SEO can work best but needs to align strategically.
Pros of SEO
- Online visibility
- Create brand awareness
- Encourage credibility & trust
- Increase website traffic
- Enhanced ROI
- Offers sustainability or keeps on giving
- Enhances click-through rate
- Strategic advantage
Cons of SEO
- Traffic comes slow. Takes time to reach the top ranking.
- Ranking fluctuates because of algorithms.
- Consistent monitoring SEO performance, never-ending task.
- To gain authority expertise needs to be proved. Link building is not an easy strategy it needs skills.
Pros of PPC
- Paid search dominate above the fold content, so makes visibility easy.
- Pay for top ranking
- You have control in creating compelling ads that deliver a brand message.
- Visual shopping ads enhance CTR.
- Brand visibility by the right customers.
- Allows budget control on PPC campaigns.
- Laser-target way to get before potential customers.
- PPC campaign results are quick.
- Rapid feedback for testing new products.
- Find marketing insights via A/B testing
Cons of PPC
- Costs can increase.
- Needs constant investment.
- Some users dislike the ads.
- Traffic stops when you stop funding.
- Ad blindness indicates you need to update.
- Getting involved in bidding wars can spiral your costs.
- Successful PPC requires skilled optimization & management.
What to choose – SEO or PPC?
It depends on the business goal –
If you are a startup or small business then the budget is tight for paid ads. With low competition, a solid SEO strategy can help to enhance online visibility in organic and local search results. SEO will not be costly as a long-term strategy and once you gain top ranking website traffic will be consistent.
If you are an eCommerce store in competition with giants like Amazon then your website will struggle to reach the top in organic search results. With PPC ads you can give your brand awareness campaign a kick start.
Both SEO and PPC have proven to drive traffic but sometimes one is better than the other. Marketers can even consider using both to synergize your digital marketing campaign.