Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) are two core strategies in digital marketing. Both aim to increase visibility and traffic to your website, but they do so in very different ways. Understanding how and when to use each can make a significant impact on your business’s online success.
What Is The Difference
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising is an online advertising model where you pay a fee each time someone clicks on one of your ads. This brings your website to the top of search results when someone uses the keywords. PPC tends to give you immediate results, but they don’t last long term.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of improving your website’s visibility in search results to attract more organic (non-paid) traffic. This is done by using your website’s keywords in ALT text, headings, and all over your website. SEO tends to give you long-term results.
Generally, PPC specialists tend to have higher earning potential compared to SEO specialists. This is because PPC campaigns often generate more immediate and measurable results, leading businesses to invest more in PPC expertise. While SEO can offer long-term cost-effectiveness, the immediate impact of PPC frequently translates to higher salaries.
How To Use Them
In the digital marketing field, these are two important things to learn how to use; whether you use them or not, it’s valuable to know.
The first thing to decipher is when to use both of them. PPC is used when you want immediate results, want to test keyword strategies, or when you are doing targeted campaigns, or promoting time-sensitive offers. SEO is used when you want long-term growth, building brand awareness, cost-effectiveness in the long run, or targeting a broader audience.
To optimize for SEO and have it be beneficial to your business, you will need to have keywords that match the services/products you sell. Once you have those keywords, they need to be ALL OVER your site; in ALT text, headings, in paragraphs, etc. Doing this, there will be a higher chance that your site will pop up when someone googles one of your keywords.
To use PPC advertising, you need to start by picking a budget and a platform that can give you that sponsored ad spot. This will then give you more clicks to your site.
SEO Tips:
- Identify and research keywords relevant to your business
- Integrate those keywords naturally throughout your site: in page titles, headings, image ALT text, paragraphs, and meta tags
- Focus on creating high-quality, informative content
- Build backlinks and improve site speed and mobile friendliness
PPC Tips:
- Choose a platform (e.g., Google Ads, Bing Ads, Facebook Ads)
- Set a clear budget and define your target audience
- Use compelling ad copy and strong calls to action
- Continuously monitor and adjust campaigns for better performance
Using PPC and SEO Together
Many businesses benefit from using PPC and SEO in tandem. For example, PPC can provide instant traffic while your SEO efforts gain momentum. You might also use PPC for high-competition keywords and rely on SEO for long-tail keywords and broader brand building. This dual approach can maximize visibility and drive more comprehensive results.
Tracking Your Data
Impressions
- SEO: Times your webpage appears in search results
- PPC: Times your ad is displayed to users
Click-Through Rates:
- SEO: % of users who click on your listing in search results after seeing it
- PPC: % of users who click on your ad after seeing it
Conversions
- SEO: The time visitors complete a desired action on your website (e.g., filling out a form, downloading an ebook, or buying something) after arriving from organic search results
- PPC: Times have users completed a desired action on your website after clicking on your ad
Conversion Rates:
- SEO: % of visitors who complete a desired action on your website after arriving from organic search results
- PPC: % of clicks on your ad that result in a conversion
Personalized & Interactive Content
Consumers expect more personalized and engaging experiences, so businesses should prioritize creating interactive content that allows users to participate and connect with the brand. A lot of people are visual learners, so having a way for them to use your content interactively is important.
Talk to NEXTFLY® to See How we can Improve Your SEO and PPC Campaigns
NEXTFLY can take the burden off you and help you with your PPC and SEO advertising. Contact us today to get started!