There’s no question that SEO and PPC are two of the most effective digital marketing channels available. But which one is right for your business? The answer may surprise you: the best strategy is often to use both SEO and PPC together.
What is SEO?
SEO, or search engine optimisation, is the process of making your website more visible in search engine results pages (SERPs). This is important because people are more likely to click on a result that appears at the top of the page. Therefore, the higher your website appears, the more traffic you’re likely to get.
Simply put, SEO consists of two main areas: on-page SEO and off-page SEO. On-page SEO refers to optimising your websites technical elements, its content and structure, while off-page SEO focuses on building links to your site and developing brand signals from other websites. Both are important for getting your website to rank higher, but they work in different ways.
On-page SEO is about ensuring your website is built to a good standard, well-structured and has high-quality content. This measure includes making sure your titles and descriptions are relevant and keyword-rich, using headings and subheadings, and including images and videos. All of this helps to make your website more visible to search engines.
Off-page SEO is about building links from other websites back to yours, showing search engines that your site is popular and trustworthy. There are a number of ways to attract and build links sites and the results are very valuable.
Both on-page and off-page SEO are essential for getting high rankings in SERPs. By focusing on both, you can ensure that your website is as visible as possible to potential visitors.
What is PPC?
Pay-per-click (PPC) is a form of online advertising where you only pay when someone clicks on your ad. It’s a convenient way to get your website in front of people who are already interested in what you have to offer since your ad only appears when they search for relevant keywords.
PPC is available on both search engines like Google and social media platforms like Facebook. While the former requires you to bid on keywords, the latter allows you to target potential customers based on interests, demographics, and behaviours. The main advantage of PPC is that it’s an effective way to generate leads and drive traffic to your website. However, it can be expensive if you don’t know what you’re doing, so it’s crucial to set a budget and track your results carefully.
Why Use SEO and PPC Together?
Combining these two digital marketing channels offers several advantages, including:
Combining Long-Term and Short-Term Results
One of the key benefits of using SEO and PPC together is that it allows you to focus on both short-term and long-term results.
While SEO can take months or even years to produce results, PPC can boost your visibility and traffic immediately. This benefit is especially valuable if you’re launching a new product or service or trying to break into a new market. By using both SEO and PPC, you can ensure that your website is visible to potential customers both now and in the future. In addition, combining both strategies can help to offset any seasonal fluctuations in traffic. By using SEO and PPC together, you can create a sustainable, long-term plan to drive traffic to your website.
Data Sharing
Analysing data is an integral part of any digital marketing strategy. One of the most significant advantages of using SEO and PPC is that it gives you more data to work with.
When you use both channels together, you can compare the data from each to better understand what’s working and what isn’t. You can then use this information to fine-tune your strategy and get even better results.
For example, the keywords you’re targeting with your PPC campaigns can provide valuable insights into which keywords you should be optimising for with your SEO efforts.
Similarly, paid advertising is also a great way to test out different keywords and messaging before investing time and resources into optimising them organically. Once you’ve identified which keywords and ads are performing well, you can then focus on optimising those terms with your SEO efforts.
The Flexibility of PPC Supports the Cost Effectiveness of SEO
While organic traffic is undoubtedly the goal, there’s no denying that paid traffic can be a helpful supplement—especially in the early stages of an SEO campaign when results are still lagging. And as we mentioned before, paid ads are also a great way to test out different keywords before committing to them long-term with your organic optimisation efforts.
Paid search also offers more flexibility than organic search when it comes to things like budget, targeting, and ad creativity—allowing you to experiment until you find what works best for your business. And once you do find what works best, you can then use those insights to inform your organic optimisation efforts going forward.
Considerations
Overall, using SEO and PPC together offers many advantages that can help you get better results from your digital marketing efforts. If you’re not currently using both channels, we recommend giving it a try—you might be surprised by how well they work together.
Still, trying to figure out where to start? Our team of digital marketing experts can help you create a customised SEO and PPC strategy that will get results. Contact us today to learn more.