Blog: SEO vs. PPC: Which to use for your business? - OrbitWeb

If you have developed a killer product, you’re probably wondering what would be the best way to share it with as many target users as possible. 

The solution usually comes down to two strategies: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) or Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaigns. 

You must be pondering which strategy is best for your product. Should you take an organic approach or invest in an advertisement campaign?

In this post, we will talk about SEO and PPC, including the pros and cons. We will help you decide whether your business benefits from SEO or PPC – or both! 

What is SEO?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. This is the process of improving your website’s visibility on the internet. This means ranking and gaining organic traffic from search engines.

Consumers turn to search engines like Google or Bing to look up information about an actor in a film or where to get a good cup of coffee.  

When you invest in SEO, you increase the chances of your target audience finding you when they make a Google search for keywords related to your product or business. 

Let’s give you an example. OrbitWeb appears at the top of Google’s organic results page for the term “real estate digital farming” thanks to our SEO strategy, we rank first with this blog post about a real estate digital strategy.

Although there are many other search engines, most SEO strategies centre around Google due to its vast market share. 

Pros of SEO

1. SEO is cheaper

In the long run, SEO is cheaper despite the costs involved in paying freelancers or agencies and SEO tools. 

When you create great, quality content that ranks and drives traffic to your website, you will no longer have to spend money for potential customers to see it. PPC, on the other hand, you must pay per click. Organic traffic is also very scalable and worthwhile. 

2. Target different funnel stages with SEO

Not all of your audience is at the same stage of the sales funnel. Perhaps a person is reaching your business at the top of the funnel while others are ready to pull out their credit card. 

With SEO, you can create different types of content (blog posts, guides, etc.) to reach your audience exactly where they are in the sales funnel.

3. Search traffic is more stable

Once you rank on Google, you can maintain free traffic as long as you keep optimizing them. There’s no off-and-on switch with SEO, contrary to PPC marketing – your website stops appearing once you have used up all your marketing budget.

4. Brand Authority 

Appearing consistently in search queries helps build trust and brand your authority with your target audience. Appearing on search results for keywords related to your product indicates to Google that you’re an expert on that topic, and Google loves experts.

Cons of SEO

1. Change in Search Engine Algorithms 

Over the years, search engines like Google have changed their algorithm many times. This means that you constantly have to monitor your organic results and SEO marketing strategy.

2. Need for Regular Website Optimization 

You will have to optimize your content and web pages for SEO regularly to continue to rank. This includes refreshing old articles and removing old/expired links.

3. SEO results take time to show 

With a new website or domain, ranking will be a slow process with just SEO. There are many factors involved in ranking on Google and other search engines.

4. Requires expertise 

If SEO is new to you, you will find it essential to hire a professional. You will need an excellent writer and an SEO expert to optimize your site. 

What is PPC? 

PPC is pay-per-click is a form of search engine marketing (SEM) where you pay for digital advertising each time someone clicks on your ad. PPC ads can appear on Google’s search pages, other websites and social media platforms.

Pros of PPC

1. PPC offers quick results 

PPC allows you to generate speedy results. You can get your ads up within a day and have them visit your landing page.

2. PPC ads appear ABOVE organic rankings

PPC campaigns that run for a target keyword appear above organic results. The audience will notice you first and click on your ad before moving on.

3. PPC Targeted Ads 

With a PPC campaign, you can choose who you want to reach with your ads. PPC marketing lets you use precise targeting. For example, you can target based on geography, household income, age, gender etc.

4. Run A/B tests on a PPC ad

With PPC, you can run two different ads simultaneously to measure the one that converts better. 

Cons of PPC 

1. PPC ads are expensive 

You have to pay for every link your target audience clicks; once your budget is done, so is your traffic. 

Keep in mind that depending on your industry, the expense can escalate. A competitive industry like insurance can be expensive. 

2. Lower profit margins 

PPC campaigns might make bright short-term wins; however, they may result in lower profit margins. But all of this depends on your business and industry. 

So, which is better? SEO or PPC?

At OrbitWeb, our data has indicated that different situations exist; therefore, we must understand your business and your audience.  

Supermarket vs. Garden

If you needed to get some vegetables quickly, you’d most likely go to the supermarket (PPC). On the other hand, starting a garden (SEO) is not a bad idea if you like to grow your own.

PPC is quick and beneficial to many different situations. SEO takes time to build, but you reap the rewards as you build authority.

We are big fans of integration, using both PPC and SEO. Why not combine both strategies and dominate the SERPs?

How can OrbitWeb combine SEO and PPC for my business?

1. Retargeting Ads

Do you have people visiting your site but leaving without buying? Maybe they left something in their cart? You can easily retarget ads to these visitors even after leaving your site. It can entice them or remind them to come back to your site. 

2. We promote your website content with Social Media Ads

Give your content a quick boost by promoting it on social media. These ads not only help with content distribution but can be a big help for backlink building. 

3. At OrbitWeb, we’re all about the data

PPC campaigns give you access to many data like keyword search volumes, keywords your competitors are bidding for, converting call-to-action etc. Supplied with all this data, we will be able to create a better SEO strategy. 

Conclusion 

At OrbitWeb, we look at the solutions that will best fit your business situation. We integrate the two strategies to create outstanding results. 

Want to see what we can do for you?