Should You Be Interested In SEO Or PPC?

This decade has seen a digital awakening for companies around the world; strategies that were once the secret of highly-skilled internet gurus are now commonplace, essential practice for any organisations with an online presence.

With over 80% of website visits coming as a direct result of searches, it is undeniable that modern-day companies simply cannot afford to have a poor digital strategy. But with digital marketers shouting about both SEO and PPC, where should you be placing your money? And what are the fundamental differences between the two?

SEO: Search Engine Optimisation

Let’s say you run a dental practice in Sheffield and want to attract patients through your website. If an online search for ‘emergency dental appointment Sheffield’ doesn’t throw up your website within the first few results, chances are you won’t be receiving many calls.

The good news is that there is a way to improve this through considered SEO content across your website and an online presence. By ensuring that the content you put out is of high-quality, contains commonly searched for keywords, and is easy to digest, your SEO rankings will undoubtedly improve. Organic rankings are 8.5 times more likely to bring traffic to your website. When maintained and nurtured over time, SEO offers sustained results and long-term value for your investment. However, make sure that you only invest in white hat and reputable SEO services, which will not cause you to get penalized by Google.

But what if you don’t have time to organically increase your rankings and want to generate instant click-throughs? That’s where PPC can help.

PPC: Pay-Per-Click

Through the use of Google AdWords, it is possible to instantly bring your company to the top of a relevant search, based on pre-selected keywords. This paid advertising can be a highly useful tool for increasing brand awareness and blasting a marketing campaign to as many people as possible, within a specific timeframe. If well thought out, PPC CTR can have a sales conversion rate 1.5 times higher than organic traffic.

However, before running a PPC ad, it’s essential to ensure that your campaign has a clear strategy and dedicated resources within your business to monitor the results. This approach can be expensive and depending on your industry, to win the top spot for your keywords, you may be charged anywhere up to $5 for each individual click or impression.

So which should you choose?

If you’re looking to increase the efficacy of your online content, drive more organic visitors to your site, then SEO is a solid choice. With undeniably strong statistics in its favour, SEO is something that every company both can and should be doing. While you don’t need to closely monitor your activity on a daily basis, it is advisable to stay up-to-date with current trends and algorithms, to ensure that you stay on top.

On the other hand, whether you’re a startup looking to shout out a new product, or a key industry player wanting to make sure you’re at the forefront of your customers’ minds, PPC is a tried and tested way to ensure that sales opportunities don’t pass you by. If you have a budget and a strategy for success, then PPC advertising could just be your new best friend.

If you’re serious about creating a sustainable online presence and reaching new customers quickly and effectively, then a combination of the two may be the ideal solution for your business.