PPC vs SEO : Difference Between SEO and PPC.

Which one should I consider, SEO vs PPC? is the common question we hear from customers curious about digital marketing. And know what? There can’t be a clear-cut yes or no answer.

The selection heavily depends on marketing objectives and business needs. What’s more, before considering anything for getting wider exposure, you should know the basic difference between SEO & PPC. 

PPC vs SEO

There are two main differences when comparing SEO and PPC. The first thing is that paid ads ( PPC) appear at the top of the page, above the organic listings impacted by SEO. The second one is that we get organic traffic from SEO which is free, whereas traffic from PPC has a cost per click.

This article will help, not only to form a deliberate choice between PPC vs SEO but also to allow us to avoid unnecessary spending and save time. So, SEO vs PPC: Which is better?

What is SEO?

Search Engine Optimization ( SEO )  is essentially a free method of driving traffic to an internet site through organic search. But you do need to invest: your own time, if you opt to form the web site which is search engines friendly yourself or pay money if your choice is to hire an SEO specialist or to consult an SEO agency who offers affordable SEO packages.

The website will rank high if it’s relevant and authoritative. The number of quality links from other sources and return visitors forms authority. Daily published, good quality and relevant content, optimized for keywords build up relevancy. On average, more than 40,000 search queries are done in Google every second, which is about 3.5 billion searches per day and 1.2 trillion searches per annum worldwide. More Internet users – more website visitors, more website visitors – more sales.

Quite impressive business opportunities, right? So, make your Website Search engine friendly to get a higher SERP ranking and catch the eye of the proper audience.

Types of SEO

On-page SEO  is the practice of optimizing individual sites so that the search engine bots can easily crawl it, understand the structure and content in order to rank higher, and earn more relevant traffic in search engines.

• Easy-to-navigate website structure.
• Useful for people and unique content.
• Internal linking.
• Page titles and descriptions (metadata).
• Smart keywords distribution.
• Content compliance with metadata.
• Heading tags & image optimization
• Tech elements: sitemap, schema mark-ups, etc.
• Mobile-friendly pages
• Clearing broken & toxic links
• Relevant media content distribution.
• Enticing CTA (call-to-action).
• Website optimization in accordance with visitors’ behavioral factors and far more.

Off-page SEO includes actions conducted outside the website to enhance the domain authority and obtain quality external links:

• • External backlinks and anchor list.
  • Social Media Marketing
  • Business adding on maps and catalogs.

• Increasing the PR indicator, etc.

What is PPC?

 Pay-Per-Click ( PPC ) is a paid Advertising method of driving visitors to a website site. Simply put, the method seems like the following:

• You select the target keywords
• Create ads.
• Set your budget that defines where, when, and the way the ad appears on SERP.
•  Only pay when the user clicks your ad.
• Gain more visibility and reach potential customers.

This advertising method gives you immediate results. The ad starts working the instant you publish it. Of course, you choose what the budget is, what keywords and regions to focus on.

Sounds great but there’s no guarantee that a visitor, who clicked on your ad, will convert into a buyer. So, bidding wars for the best keywords and positions can get really tense.

Types of PPC

PPC Search Ads:

Search is the most common and popular PPC channel with Google, Bing, Yahoo, and other search engines available for ad placement. Search advertising is remarkably flexible, ensures high targeting, and may fit almost any business type.

Social Media Advertising:

Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, etc., are the place where your future clients spend most of their time and this is often where your ads should appear.

By advertising on social media, you not only reach a more targeted audience and lift brand awareness but also nurture customer relationships and boost business visibility.

Video Ads:

Video ads show impressive engagement and conversion rates. What can tell your story better than a video? Use this ad format to tell and educate, to succeed in new clients, and gain greater visibility.

Shopping Ads:

If you’re an e-commerce business owner, you can’t put this ad format aside. Showing information about the searched product, its image, and price, shopping ads usher in hot leads, can generate more sales and improve ROI. This is often a path worth exploring, isn’t it?

Mobile Ads:

Most of the ad types mentioned above are often shown on mobile. Mobile advertising made an enormous leap ahead during a few years. to focus on your customers with mobile ads you’ll use social media, apps, and mobile websites. In-app ads, mobile banners, pop-up advertisements, and far more open limitless opportunities for business promotion.

SEO vs PPC Comparison

PPC vs SEO: Budget

SEO: Organic SEO is absolutely free if you are doing it by yourself. Or you can pay to hire an SEO Specialist or to pay for SEO packages from SEO agencies.

In most cases, you’ll pay a minimum for SEO activities that have a long-lasting impact and drive more qualified traffic. You’ll need to buy backlinks and quality content, especially when marketing during a competitive niche.

PPC: PPC is paid. You have to spend for each click that you get on the ads. Only you choose what proportion to spend on PPC advertising and pay only after the user enters your website. But! For more clicks, better positioning, and highly competitive keywords you’ll need to pay more.

Managing budget & measuring ROI is much easier with PPC

PPC vs SEO: Speed of Impact & Time Investment

SEO: SEO activities have a gradual impact. It can take months to ascertain sizable improvements, but they ensure constant traffic flow.

PPC: In PPC, your business gets immediate exposure right after the ad is published, but the stream ends the instant you stop paying for your ads.

PPC vs SEO: Control & guarantee

SEO: You cannot know or control what proportion and what sort of traffic you get. Only Google has complete control over ranking factors and also over the results of your SEO activities.

PPC: You can control all aspects of PPC advertising, easily customize and adjust it to manage costs.

PPC vs SEO: CTR & ROI

SEO: According to Unbounce, 86% of web searchers trust organic SEO listings more than paid PPC listings.

PPC: If you run a PPC campaign with highly targeted and optimized ads, you get visitors who are very much interested in your offer. The CTR here is going to be even higher, but you’ll need to pay more for such ads.

CONCLUSION:

As the comparison shows, there are pros and cons for both SEO & PPC. To double your chances of accelerating traffic within the short term and ensuring a robust online presence for the future, you better include both SEO and PPC in your digital marketing campaign.

One thing is very sure that both SEO and PPC will be as trending as present even in the coming years.