SEO vs. PPC: What's the difference, what's the benefit, what's the drawback, and how can you combine the two?
Are you unsure whether PPC or SEO would be more beneficial to your company? In a perfect world, both Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Pay Per Click (PPC) campaigns would be utilized as they support each other synergistically. Where you can get SEO and PPC working together, you will often be able to drive results that are greater than their component parts, but we also believe in our ability to drive organic traffic to your website through a great SEO campaign.

Our approach at BlueJay is to first determine your current status, goals and market, then figure which fits into your overall marketing strategy. Understanding your potential clients and how they use the internet is critical to determining if sponsored search, organic search, or a combination of the two is the best strategy for your unique and ever-changing circumstance.

In our opinion, a great marketing plan begins with a thorough SEO plan and this is the channel that we'll most often recommend, due to the fact that we can achieve effective results for you organically at a far less cost. If it's determined that paid ads are appropriate for your company and the current situation, we'll look at how to combine SEO and PPC for better results from your search marketing efforts.
 
PPC vs. SEO
 
When it comes to SEO vs. PPC, there are two major contrasts. The first is that sponsored adverts show at the top of the page, above SEO-influenced organic listings. The second difference is that SEO traffic is free, whereas PPC traffic has a cost per click. SEO and PPC are often more effective when they are integrated and strategically matched.
 


 

Awareness. Visibility in search engines for your desired keywords puts your company in front of potential customers in the same way that advertising would, and it helps to raise brand awareness.
 
Branding. Visibility for commercial search phrases and informational searches relating to your industry can help build your brand. Searchers who are asking queries as part of their research that will lead to a purchase can become familiar with and trust your brand. You can establish yourself as an expert on a particular subject.
 
Credibility and trustworthiness. Having your site appear in the organic results can help you gain credibility with those who are looking for what you have to offer. Many consumers avoid advertisements in favor of organic results. Visibility provides that all-important seal of approval for your company. Furthermore, having strong review and reputation signals in place will be beneficial.
 
The number of people who visit your website. Increased website traffic gives you additional chances to raise awareness of your company and educate potential customers about why they should buy from you.
 
The price of a click. Organic search traffic is free... sort of. It will take time and money to build that visibility, but there is no charge for each impression or click.
 
Investment return (ROI). Organic search engine traffic can deliver a better return on investment than traditional types of paid media, and it can surely outperform PPC.
 
Cost. While SEO is neither cheap nor simple, it is more cost-effective than all other marketing methods in terms of increasing brand awareness and driving relevant visitors to your website.
 
Sustainability. Organic traffic does not dwindle when you stop paying for it, unlike paid search marketing. As a result, attempts to increase organic traffic might help a company stay afloat when marketing budgets are curtailed.
 
The click-through rate has improved (CTR). The organic results receive a higher percentage of clicks. While there are exceptions to this rule, a highly ranked organic listing will produce more clicks than a well placed sponsored ad.
 
Overall, there are more clicks. You'll want to have listings in both the paid and organic results to get the most visibility and clicks. Here, keyword-level experimentation is required to determine whether you are paying for clicks that would otherwise be free or raising overall clicks and CTR in both paid and organic — but strong visibility in both paid and organic is required to truly maximize outcomes.
 
Scope. Because there are so many new queries every day, you'll need great organic visibility to optimize your reach. You won't want to pay for a variety of clicks or promote every item of content on your site.
 
Advantage in terms of strategy. Organic search visibility isn't easy or quick, which is both a good and a bad thing. Your competitors won't be able to purchase their way into the organic results once you've established yourself (assuming you have done things the right way). If your competitors rely on paid search, this can give you a strategic advantage.

There are some downsides, but that's what BlueJay can assist you with. Organic traffic can be difficult to come by in many circumstances, and you may find yourself vastly outgunned by the giants like Amazon and eBay who may already dominate the keywords you are using. BlueJay can help you develop a different strategy to gain some traction against these behemoths. 
 
To gain great organic visibility, you may also need to build content assets. Not every company has the resources in-house to handle content development, but here at BlueJay, it's one of our specialties. Safe, long-term link building is a challenging tactic to learn, but with a marketing plan through BlueJay focusing on SEO, we'll do all the hard work so you can focus on the day-to-day operations of running your business.



 

 
PPC (Pay-Per-Click): Laser-targeted visibility
 
What is the difference between paid and organic search? Why would a company choose paid search when organic search has such high click-through rates and trust? Here are some of the advantages of PPC:
 
Placement on the page. Above-the-fold content is dominated by paid search. Even if a user chooses to scroll past the sponsored search advertising, they will always be visible on desktop and mobile, with four advertisements on desktop and three on mobile.
 
Ads have been improved. PPC adverts are exactly that: advertisements. As a result, you have significantly more granular control over your marketing messages and far more space to deliver them. Calls, locations, sitelinks, pricing, and bullet points (callouts) are just a few of the possibilities for dominating the page with adverts.
 
Product advertisements that are visually appealing. Wherever you sell a product, Google offers visual shopping advertisements (Product Listing Ads, or PLAs) that allow users to see what they're clicking on before they buy. By providing a service not available via organic search, this type of ad can significantly increase click-through rates.
 
Brand recognition is important. Using paid search ads allows you to be viewed by the relevant individuals. Even if they back off and conduct a brand search before visiting your site, your marketing will benefit from the increased visibility.
 
Budget. PPC provides for precise budget management. Set a predetermined limit on how much you are willing to spend per day (preferably with some initial and ideal return ideas).
 
Targeting. PPC allows you to reach out to potential customers in a very focused manner. Search phrases, time of day, day of week, geography, language, device, and audiences based on previous visits can all be used to target ads. Organic traffic, on the other hand, is significantly more dispersed.
 
Speed. While organic visibility takes time to build, a PPC campaign can be set up in days and scaled up in weeks. Paid search engine advertising is the fastest way to get in front of buyers at the exact moment they are ready to buy.
 
Agile. Agility is provided through speed. Do you want to try out a new product? Is it time for a new marketing message? Running a brief PPC ad campaign can help you receive quick feedback on a new product launch (or minimum viable product).
 
Intelligence in marketing. Whereas organic search hides keyword data in the name of privacy, paid search has no such restrictions. We can establish which keywords convert and at what percentage and cost using conversion tracking and a robust integration with analytics software (such as Google Analytics). This data can be directly put into organic search (SEO) marketing and used to inform all other forms of advertising to improve overall outcomes.
 
A/B testing is a method of comparing two options. Split-test advertising, landing pages, and even call-to-action buttons to find out which ones get the best results. This data can be used to inform all other digital (and traditional) marketing efforts.
 
Stability. AdWords does not experience the same turbulence that organic search results do. There are changes, but they have a much smaller impact and are easier to manage. The reduction of junk search and an increase in ROI over time can be achieved through careful usage of match types and study of search term reports.
 
Cost. Despite popular belief, a properly set up and managed PPC account can be a low-cost approach to produce leads for your company. If you're a local firm with a restricted geographic area and a limited selection of keywords, you could find that you can produce plenty of leads without breaking the bank. Accounts can also be further improved over time to save expenses and increase returns.
 
The downsides of paid search advertising include costs in comparison to organic search engine optimization. Expenses in a PPC campaign can mount quickly. These expenditures might quickly escalate if you're targeting entire countries or executing international marketing.
 
Because sponsored search advertising is, well, paid, it necessitates ongoing commitment. If you don't pay the piper, your advertisements will disappear and your lead generating will cease. This should not be a problem as long as you have a good acquisition cost, but unlike SEO, it can feel like a bad deal. Of course, SEO should be maintained indefinitely to keep the competition in check, but organic traffic can be more reliable.

 


 
So, SEO or PPC?
 
Every company has different goals and circumstances, all of which have to be considered, but with a much smaller investment, BlueJay can create some DIY SEO for your firm which could ultimately achieve high visibility in the local and organic search results.
 
Do you require leads right now? Do you have a long-term strategy in mind? Do you have a lot of authority on your website? What is the state of organic search competition? In paid search, what is the cost per click?
 
Making an SEO or PPC option requires a clear digital marketing plan as well as short- and long-term goals.
 
The following are some of the advantages of combining SEO and PPC:
 
PPC keyword and conversion data can be integrated into organic search results (SEO).
 
By focusing sponsored and organic clicks on high-performing keywords, the total volume of traffic can be boosted.
 
Keywords with a high cost, a high volume, or a low conversion rate (but still essential) can be shifted from PPC to organic search.
 
Your organic listing and landing pages can benefit from A/B testing of ad copy and landing pages.
 
After an initial contact via organic search, remarketing allows you to stay in front of visitors and tailor messaging based on their interaction with your site.
 
Before committing to long-term SEO techniques, test your keyword approach in PPC.
 
Commercial keywords can be used to target visitors at all stages of the customer journey, from research to comparison to purchase.
 
Having significant organic and paid presence boosts confidence and awareness.
 
At the end of the day, an integrated search strategy that considers both SEO and PPC is going to be the best way. Using both sponsored and organic channels improves results in each channel. This is not appropriate for every firm, but for high-growth, aggressive marketing, establishing a strategy that utilizes both avenues rather than focusing on one or the other may yield the best results for you!