Search Engine Optimization VS Pay Per Click
I’m often asked which is best; search engine optimization (SEO) or pay-per-click (PPC). SEO is free; pay per click bills you for each person that clicks on your advert. The honest answer is, for an effective internet marketing strategy, you should really be using both. If you want to generate leads or sales online, as long as your marketing makes a good return, even if certain streams cost more than others, keep the visitors coming all day long! Remember the lifetime value of a client - don’t be scared to break even on acquisition.
What the two different search marketing methods have in common is the importance of keywords, which are the words typed into the search engine by a user when looking for something online. They need to be relevant and targeted.So what are the pros and cons of each method?
Paid search, also known as sponsored listings, paid for advertising or Google AdWords (Yahoo and MSN also have their own versions), has the major benefit speed and testability; within three hours of beginning your campaign you can be at the top of the first page of search results trying different hooks in your adverts. The downside is that fewer searchers click the sponsored listings. (current reports are around 65/35 in the favor of the natural listings)
SEO on the other hand, is concerned with placement in the “natural” listings (on the left hand side of Google), where more people click through and you don’t have to pay. It can, however, take much longer to get to the top. SEO is often described as a “black art”, since the search engines all have different rules and regularly change them. They also penalize, or sometimes even ban, websites for getting “too clever” and bending the rules too far - so be warned.
Because SEO takes time to work, before spending time and money, my advice is always to do a quick PPC campaign first to ascertain that the keywords chosen really do generate business. It’s no good being at the top of the list for a keyword which generates visitors but no buyers.
And finally, monitor and measure the results for both, and if it’s not working, change it!
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