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SEO or PPC: Which is Right for Your Company?

Published on 29 Nov

Imagine this scenario: You have just invested a lot of time and resources into branding your business and building a beautiful and functional custom website. What now? Do you opt for SEO or PPC in order to attract the most traffic? Unfortunately, when it comes to promoting a business on the internet, there is no simple answer that suits everyone. Every company is unique, and the answer will significantly depend on your business goals, budget, the products you offer, and more.

Both SEO and PPC marketing are powerful strategies for search engine marketing and have their own advantages and disadvantages. Let us break it down for you.

SEO or PPC: What’s the Difference?

seo, man, suit, search engine optimization, xi digital vaughan, xi digital torontoSearch Engine Optimization services (SEO) does not only focus on optimizing your content and website to rank better in organic search results for desired keywords. SEO is also about being an authority in the field and an expert in the solutions provided. All the major search engines, such as Google or Yahoo, take into account how people interact with your website, if they return, if other websites are linking to your pages, and hundreds of other factors. 

On the other hand, Pay Per Click (PPC) also known as Google Ads, includes paying for advertising space for targeted keywords on a search results page. In fact, PPC also includes a great deal of similar SEO elements when creating an ad campaign. Elements include: proper landing pages, content with a keyword focus, fast mobile and desktop loading time for a landing page and if the landing page resonates with the ad text’s message and search query.

Both SEO and PPC Have Advantages and Disadvantages

You Get Long Term Results with Search Engine Optimization

Your long-term digital marketing strategy should always include SEO. Online users are actually more likely to trust your business as they know that the results weren’t paid for. Instead, your business is at the top of the page because your content is high quality. Therefore, ranking high on Google means that you are a trusted, relevant and high authority source, so visitors will be more likely to choose your products and services. SEO requires time and effort, but, if properly done, it can yield amazing long term results.

There are a Few Advantages of Pay Per Click vs Organic Searches

When Xi Digital Google Ads experts set up a paid campaign professionally, you will see significant returns on investment. PPC is an art – it is not only about who pays the most to be on the top of the page. The biggest search engines aim to return the best results for the user, not simply the highest bidders. A well-designed campaign by us will help you immediately jump-start the online presence of your business.

Another advantage of Pay Per Click is the ability to have your ads displayed on other sites with significant traffic. The user may ignore your ad in the search results, but, after seeing it again in their favourite blog, there is a good chance they will consider your product!

When Choosing Your Strategy, Consider These Questions:

1. How Large is Your Advertising Budget?

When deciding whether to go for SEO or PPC, you first need to consider what advertising budget your business can support. However, including PPC ad campaigns is always a good idea, as it gives you one thing that SEO doesn’t: it guarantees you a steady stream of visitors, regardless of where you rank on Google and what changes Google or other engines make to their search algorithms. If you are relying solely on Search Engine Optimization and optimize your website in a particular way that goes against Google’s best practices, you can lose all of your rankings practically overnight - especially if you use “black hat” techniques. These techniques could include anything from keyword stuffing to sneaky redirects, spammy backlinks or content automation.

2. How Expensive are the Average CPC’s in Your Industry?

ppc, pay per click, marketing, man, suit, xi digital vaughan, xi digital torontoCPC means “cost-per-click” – a fee that the bidders are willing to pay for a single click per keyword. Here, the range can vary significantly – from 2 to 3 dollars to nearly 30 dollars per click for more popular keywords. Higher prices make it more difficult for small businesses to profit from PPC traffic. Here, SEO could be a better choice. 

3. How Competitive are the SERP’s in Your Field?

Still not sure whether to choose SEO or PPC? Take a look at SERP’s (“search engine results pages”) for your targeted keywords. Simply enter your keywords into the Google External Keyword Research Tool, and you will see the estimated competition level alongside the number of advertisers bidding on these keywords.

For more competitive fields, you may discover that SERP’s are dominated by the industry giants that are nearly impossible to displace without significant investments of time and finances. Here, it would be more effective to opt for PPC promotions.

A Custom Website is Key to Digital Marketing Success

Whether you decide to go with SEO or PPC campaigns, you should ensure that your website contains several key elements required for internet marketing. A user- and search-friendly website, which aligns with general SEO best practices and is aesthetically pleasing, will supplement your SEO and PPC efforts. On the other hand, if you website contains broken links, 404 pages, and poorly designed and confusing landing pages, all your traffic brought in through SEO or PPC would go to waste.

At Xi Digital, It’s All About the Right Combination

For most businesses, search engine marketing consists of two massive tools: Search Engine Optimization and Pay Per Click. With a multi-faceted approach that starts with a strong organic foundation that improves the website authority in the long term and is supplemented with PPC campaigns to increase immediate exposure, you can see a great return on investment. SEO or PPC should go hand-in-hand. In fact, properly done, SEO will directly help PPC results as well!

However, it is important to determine the ideal balance of the hours put forth for SEO improvements and a paid advertising budget - and, of course, it is important to do it right. This is where Xi Digital experts come into play. We have an enthusiastic team of SEO and PPC specialists that work together to develop and implement the best digital marketing strategies to match your needs and budget. Contact us today or fill out a business assessment form, https://www.xi-digital.com/business-assessment to get your company on the front pages of the biggest search engines!

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