SEO vs. PPC (explained)
06/15/2010Most people who work online today have heard of (SEO) Search Engine Optimization and (PPC) Pay Per Click advertising.
However, many people continue to be confused about the difference between (SEO) Search Engine Optimization and (PPC) Pay Per Click marketing. Begging the question:
Which is the better option for online results or (SEM) Search Engine Marketing?
Both are major aspects of (SEM) but each have different functional parameters and they need to be understood before starting any of these marketing strategies.
There are 3 major areas where (SEO) and (PPC) differ:
1. The biggest difference is time. Building a site that attracts the kind of attention needed for a high organic search engine ranking that will define a site as an (SEO) success takes months of hard work optimizing the website inside and out. On the other hand, (PPC) listings can be set up fairly quickly in a day or two.
UPCOM will ensure not only that the costs are kept within budget but also that the traffic flow is maximized.
2. An also important difference is placement. For example, in the case of Google, the (PPC) listings are displayed as a separate category from the organic search results and are listed as “sponsored results.” The (PPC) listings are located at the top and right-hand-side of the page and the position is controlled by the advertiser by utilizing a combination of strategies such as position preference, bid amount and quality score. On the contrary, the Natural/Organic listings appear in the center of the page and the position cannot be controlled by the advertiser.
3. The third difference is cost. PPC (Pay Per Click), as the name implies, costs per click. And the cost in itself is decided by the position of the listing – the actual procedure varies from search engine to search engine but prices usually are high and only last until your budget runs out.
While Search Engine Optimization does not cost per click, it would be wrong to assume that it is free. There are indirect costs involved in optimizing the website for relevant keywords but surely it is the most cost effective marketing strategy you can pursue.
Conclusion
While the differences between (SEO) and (PPC) are directly related to time, ad placement and cost, both are great online marketing initiatives that any business regardless of its size can take advantage of and beat the competition by implementing a successful combination of both. The perfect strategy and something that we encourage our customers to do, is to start a PPC campaign to generate leads/sales quickly while doing natural/organic search engine optimization for the long run so that your business outperforms your competitor’s by occupying not one but two listings in the search engine result pages. Taking advantage of the new Online Real Estate.
UPCOM has the experience and expertise to guide you in the creation and implementation of a new (SEO) or (PPC) marketing strategy that will best suit your company’s needs.
We are an Ottawa based company with clients all over the world. Call on our tream of professionals @ 011.613.837.5000 and let us help you take your business to the next level.
We look forward to being a part of your success,
Kevin Bloodworth, CEO
Upward Communications, Inc.
Results. Delivered.
011.613.837.5000