PPC & SEO: Working Together to Boost Your Search Engine Visibility

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Category: Market Your Business , Attracting More Customers

While the Internet can truly be a level playing field for businesses of all sizes, it will take a search engine marketing strategy to get you in the game. Search engine marketing includes both Pay Per Click Advertising (PPC) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – and that’s where the confusion tends to begin. If you’re unsure which method is right for your business, you’re not alone. Many business owners get bogged down trying to decide between the two. However, most eventually learn that an effective search engine marketing campaign should include both.

Search Engine Optimization

Think of the last time you performed a search on a major search engine like Google® or Bing®. The results that appear along the center of the page are referred to as “natural” or “organic” results. They are influenced by search engine optimization techniques – such as using relevant keywords throughout your content, clean web design, link building and more. Keep in mind that natural search results are generally regarded as being more credible that paid ads.

Time: SEO can deliver the results you want, but you’ll have to be patient. A boost in rankings can take time to achieve, and results will have to be monitored and adjustments made as search engines change their algorithms and competitors move ahead of you in the rankings.
Cost: Professional SEO services can be costly in the beginning, but it’s an investment that pays off as you establish long-term search visibility without paying for the clicks that it brings.

Pay Per Click Advertising

Again, think of the last time you searched for a product or service online. Atop and alongside your natural search results, you saw Pay Per Click Advertising, often called “Sponsored Results”. In a PPC advertising campaign, you bid on keywords relevant to your business. The more competitive a keyword, the more you’ll have to bid to achieve a high search engine ranking. You’ll pay only when someone clicks on your ad, which makes it crucial to craft your PPC ads in a way that brings you quality visitors rather than quantity. Conversions can be increased by using landing pages that take your visitor straight to the information they need.

Time: A PPC campaign can be “up and running” on the Internet very quickly and a well-crafted, competitive ad can bring you same-day search engine visibility. PPC also allows you to determine the amount of time your ads will appear, essentially letting you flip the switch that turns your ads on and off.
Cost: Choosing relevant keywords, creating landing pages and targeting your audience can help you keep down your PPC costs by drawing clicks from quality visitors. Unethical practices from competitors such as click fraud (intentional clicks made with the sole purpose of increasing the cost to you) make careful monitoring a necessity.

A Balanced Search Engine Marketing Campaign

Many businesses find that dividing their search marketing dollars between SEO and PPC pays off. If you’ve just created a website, you may want to consider using PPC to garner quick visibility while slowly building your SEO results. And beginners aren’t the only ones who can benefit from incorporating both strategies into their campaign. You’ll likely find that ramping up your PPC advertising is helpful when your SEO rankings slip and, vice versa, that having strong long-term SEO results can help when your PPC ads aren’t driving as much traffic as you’d like. Another hidden advantage: Internet users widely view businesses that appear in both SEO and PPC ads as more credible.