Chat with us, powered by LiveChat
Decorative

SEO vs PPC – There has always been a debate among online traders over which is more effective – buying your way to the top of the results page, or cultivating organic traffic using SEO strategies?

Google has drastically improved both fronts in favour of online trading, which has made it even harder to choose between them.

SEO employs both technical and creative element in its techniques; some include keyword optimisation, web design and user experience optimisation. With PPC (Pay-Per-Click), advertisers charge a fee for every time your ad is clicked. Ideally, PPC channels traffic to your site without going through the trouble of organic filters. PPC results are usually the top links on the results page, but they are identifiable as sponsored and don’t really count as the first results. On Google, a yellow ad tag denotes PPC ads.

Pros and cons of using SEO

One of the most significant differences between PPC and SEO is the cost. The cost of optimising your site and content for SEO is relatively cheaper and non-recurrent compared to that of paying for ads. SEO is also more scalable and sustainable. Ranking nowadays is fairly stable as long as you continue with your SEO efforts and don’t fall short of webmaster’s guidelines.

Internet users reserve a certain level of trust towards organic results, and many of them are more likely to ignore ads. The downside with SEO is that it is time and effort consuming to initialise and maintain. It takes time for search engines to recognise your website, and even then, they have to determine that you are more relevant than your competitors to rank you in a favourable position.

Pros and cons of using PPC

The beauty with PPC is immediate, predictable results. Once the ad is active, you can expect to see traffic and conversions. You can expand your reach by simply injecting more funds into the campaign. What’s more, there is little groundwork, and you don’t have to worry about keeping up with search algorithm changes and maintaining ranking.

PPC is quite an expensive method of attracting traffic. Keywords are growing more competitive, so bidding prices keep going up. Moreover, you have to pay for every visit meaning that you must have a smart ROI plan. There is also the problem of ‘click fraud’ where dishonest advertisers make you pay for false clicks. PPC is not as sustainable as SEO and once you disable the ads, your leads vanish.

Which do I choose?

Both SEO and PPC are great leads generators, each having its strengths and weaknesses. If you are willing to put in the work for sustainable traffic, SEO is the best choice. However, if you have the budget to buy predictable traffic, then PPC will work for you. Many businesses find themselves implementing both methods, which is a smart, competitive approach to cover more ground.

Choosing the right marketing strategy for your business is a big decision. Here at Creative Digital Agency, we can provide expert marketing assistance and tools for your e-commerce needs. Don’t hesitate to talk to us about digital marketing solutions.

CDA Contact Us Graphic