Benefits of Search engine optimization over Pay per click marketing
Whether you are looking to build a high-authority website, promote a certain product, or simply market your content effectively, adopting the right kind of strategy(s) is of prime importance. But the million-dollar question is, which strategy is guaranteed to work best for your website and get it the traffic you are looking for? Well, this is no doubt tough to answer, since it can depend on your plans, and business vision. However, if you are fully aware of what each type of marketing strategy has to offer, you will be able to zero in on a solution that is suitably tailored to your business needs.
What is SEO and What is PPC-Advertising?
Organic SEO or search engine optimization refers to the process taken to improve the online visibility of a website in search engine results. The higher a website is ranked on the results page, the greater is the number of visitors the site receives.
On the other hand, PPC advertising, or Pay-Per-Click advertising is a method undertaken by advertisers to bid on keywords associated with a certain advertisement in order to attain a higher position on the search engine results pages for searches based on the same keyword. Advertisers usually specify a high bid to ad-serving agencies such as Microsoft Adcenter and Google Adwords, to have their advertisement flashed whenever a user types a certain keyword or phrase.
Search engine marketing vs Pay per click: Which is Better in the Long-Term?
Search Engine Optimization is considered to be a strategic, long-term approach to online marketing in any SEM campaign. On the other hand, Pay Per Click (PPC) is more apt as a tactical, fast-response method. When first starting an SEM campaign, you may ponder on the difference between SEO and PPC, and which strategy should you allocate your marketing budget in. Studies have shown that over 85% of internet users go to their desired search engine when looking for the products or services they are interested in, but interestingly, around 95% do not look past the first two-three search results pages. That is exactly why SEM should be definitely included in your overall SEO marketing campaign.
Here is a complete rundown of benefits of SEO over PPC over a long term period
#1 More Effective Promotion Results
When an organic SEO campaign is applied on a website, the latter may take anywhere between three to six months to show up on the search engine results, as Google takes some time to index and rank a website. However, SEO leads to consistent traffic over a long span of time, whereas PPC only gives an initial boost to the traffic, and is maximally beneficial for launching a band new site which has not yet appeared in organic results. The major drawback with a PPC campaign is that when it’s stopped, and the budget withdrawn, the paid traffic stops instantly. That is where Search engine marketing shines: it is an effective way to promote a website in the long-haul.
#2 Better Impression
Organic ranking positions that occur as a result of an SEO/SEM campaign are considered to be unbiased and contain a greater level of credibility. This is simply because Search engine marketing rankings are unpaid, unbiased and based on the true relevance of the page with the keyword. However, with PPC, the higher you bid on a particular keyword, the better will be your position in search engine results. And for both organic, as well as PPC SERPs, a better, i.e higher position is seen with a favorable eye by users and has a higher chances of getting more clicks.
#3 Greater Value for Money
Whether you opt for an SEO campaign, or a PPC one, there will invariably be an initial fee for set-up and an ongoing investment for engaging a PPC specialist or an SEO company to carve out an exclusive digital campaign for your business. However, when you go for an SEO campaign, you will not have to shell out a cost for every individual click or visitor, rather you will have to incur just the costs of the efforts and skills of your in-house SEO team or vendor. On the other hand, with a PPC campaign, the ongoing cost is more, as you have to pay for every visitor or click. So, in other words, the greater your budget, the greater traffic your website shall receive.
#4 Consistent Results
SEO is best seen as a seed, which thrives and flourishes well when maintained the right way, and even bears fruit in the long run. If you make use of relevant long-tail keywords to create evergreen content, you are bound to end up creating a high-authority website that reaps positive results, in the form of better online visibility and profit margins. As your content is shared on microblogging networks, you will discover that Search engine marketing can indeed be a great investment. By topping your website with high-quality content regularly, you can vouch for better interaction with your site, which, in turn, will eventually rake in a steady stream of income and help you climb up the rankings in no time.
#5 Increased Value to Your Website
Everyone does not wish to own a website for a considerable period of time. As a matter of fact, there are a few people who are in the business of building, maintaining websites and then selling them later on. However, if you intend to sell a website at a decent price, you need to make sure it has value to it, and by value, we mean regular traffic. Pay Per Click may drive inbound traffic in the short-term, yet it is SEO that delivers optimal results, as it ensures constant traffic that is taken as a standard measure to decide the value and potential of any website.
#6 Greater Propensity to Click
Consistent studies have proven that internet users tend to attach higher trust to natural search results as opposed to sponsored links. Research has shown that up to 70% of users click on natural organic search results (i.e SEO), while only 30% of people click on paid search results (i.e PPC). Customers even go so far to say that they have an innate distrust for paid advertising. Whatever be the case, consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the use of PPC as an advertising tool, and thus often bypass adverts in favor of organic, natural search results. This problem is further aggravated by the fact that just a minor percentage of users who end up choosing to click on paid search results actually come across the exact quality of product or service that they are looking for. Hence, companies and brands that rely on organic SEO are much better positioned to offer the user something that is of interest and value to them.
Ending Note…
There are several times when Pay per click marketing can yield results, like when you are launching your new company and it’s important to build brand awareness and create a buzz. Also, when there is a limited time offer or a special event, PPC can be seen as an effective tool to get targeted exposure that SEO would take time to produce. However, if you have a long-term goal in mind, the result is clear- SEO offers greater value over PPC in search marketing. With SEO, you may not rank #1 overnight, but the long-term benefits with SEO have been proven. All of these facts show that you should invest more of your time and resources in focusing on search engine marketing vs Pay per click .