PPC vs SEO: Which Digital Marketing Strategy is Right for You?

We’ve been crafting PPC and SEO campaigns for years – with fantastic results, from an SEO strategy that increased a local glamping brand’s page clicks by 190%, to a PPC campaign that resulted in a 415% surge in a national charity’s overall web traffic. For more examples, check out some of our other SEO and PPC success stories.

Since the dawn of the search engine, digital marketers have been scrambling to reach the hallowed No.1 spot at the top of the page. So, how do you get there? Well, no strategy is 100% guaranteed but you can significantly improve your chances by crafting the right digital marketing strategy. There are two main paths to success – Pay Per Click (PPC) and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). Choosing which one is better for your business, or whether you take a hybrid approach, depends on your goals, timeline and budget. 

Pay Per Click (PPC) and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

For anyone who’s not already familiar with PPC and SEO, let’s break down what each one is and how it works.

What is PPC advertising?

Pay Per Click is a paid advertising model where you bid on targeted keywords to get your ads displayed in the search engine results. Google Ads is probably the most well-known PPC platform alongside social media giants like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube etc.

This advertising strategy does what it says on the tin – you only pay a fee when someone clicks on your ad. In essence, you’re buying site visits. The cost varies depending on which sector you’re in and the strength of keyword competition. 

What is SEO?

Probably the more involved and nuanced option, Search Engine Optimisation involves detailed keyword research and creating quality content alongside technical elements like backlink building to generate organic traffic to your website. 

This is the ‘slow burn’ option and takes time and effort to maintain but the results can be hugely beneficial to your marketing – if you get it right.

Should I use Pay Per Click or Search Engine Optimisation? 

The answer pretty much depends on what you want to achieve, when you need to achieve it by, how much is in the budget, who you’re targeting and how sustainable each option is. To get a clearer picture of whether Pay Per Click advertising or Search Engine Optimisation is right for your business you need to ask yourself:

1. How quickly do I want results?

PPC: If time is of the essence and you need to get traffic pronto, PPC is the way to go. You can have ads up and running in a matter of hours giving you almost instant visibility and driving traffic to your website in the fastest time possible. 

SEO: If you’re not on a tight schedule and have the time to build your ranking more organically (think months, rather than hours) SEO might be a better fit for your business. It’s a much slower way of doing things, but it has the advantage in terms of building trust, authority and generating more sustained engagement.

2. What’s my advertising budget?

PPC: Obviously, this option requires an immediate and ongoing ad spend. The cost will depend on your individual strategy – a lower cost campaign might be as low as £500 per month, big players can spend tens of thousands per month. If you’re in a particularly competitive industry, the costs can ramp up so that’s also something to bear in mind.

SEO: While there might not be a direct cost per click with SEO, you will need to invest resources in terms of creating optimised content and implementing any technical improvements that need to be made. However, the longer timeline means it can be a more affordable option if you don’t have a budget up front.

3. How important is building trust and authority for my business?

PPC: Ever skipped over the ads at the top of the search results and scrolled down a touch to find the first organic link? Some people do. While ads can be incredibly effective, they can also be seen as less trustworthy by certain sections of your audience.

SEO: Organic search results tend to have more trust and authority attached to them, so if that’s an essential element of your marketing strategy, it’s something to consider.

4. Who are my target audience?

PPC: If you want to target specific customer personas and segment your audience by age, location, interests, etc. Pay Per Click allows you to take a much more forensic approach to getting your message directly to the people who need to hear it.

SEO: This works well if your messaging is aimed at a broader audience, and you don’t need to drill down into specifics.

5. How sustainable are PPC and SEO for me in the long term?

PPC: Once the ads stop, so do the clicks. If you’re just promoting a short-term offer or event, it’s perfect. If you want to carry it on in the longer term, you’ll need to consider whether you have the budget to maintain an ongoing campaign.

SEO: It takes a lot longer to work, but once you’ve built up your digital presence with SEO, the long-term rewards are far greater and more sustainable, especially if your budget doesn’t stretch far.

Which is better for me, PPC or SEO?

Choose Pay Per Click if:

• You need fast results, driving instant traffic and quick conversions.
• You’re launching a time-sensitive event, product, campaign, etc.
• You have allocated enough of a budget for paid advertising.
  

Choose Search Engine Optimisation if:

• You have the time and patience to see results improve over a longer period.
• You want to build trust and long-term brand authority.
• You want a marketing strategy that is more cost effective over time. 
• You want a higher ROI and more sustainable results.

When to Use a Hybrid Approach

Of course, the choice doesn’t have to be either-or. Many successful businesses combine the power of both PPC and SEO to create a highly effective hybrid digital marketing strategy.

Choose a combination of SEO and PPC if:

• You want to balance immediate gain with sustainable growth.
• You want to use both channels to gain key metrics.
• You want to maximise visibility in search engine results.
• You need to retarget organic visitors with PPC ads.
• You want to ensure your brand competes on every level.

Web Adept PPC and SEO Services – Let’s craft the best strategy for your business

There’s no one-size-fits-all in terms of the ideal strategy – it’s very much dependant on your individual goals. Asking yourselves the above questions will give you a head start in creating a clearer roadmap but if you’re still not sure how to decide between PPC and SEO for your business goals – or how to implement campaigns – you can always ask our Web Adept Pay Per Click and Search Engine Optimisation experts for help. 

If you’d like some guidance on creating the best custom marketing strategy for your business, why not get in touch for a no-obligation consultation with our digital specialists? Visit our contact page to arrange your call today.

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