Here are the main (and most hard hitting) differences between search engine optimization and pay per click, and their pros and cons. Brief and organized (even visually), designed to give just a useful overview. That’s why we kept the article short, and also to encourage you to go ahead and ask or comment – either on the post pages or our contact page.
The Searchers: SEO
Features
- SEO needs thought. You have to carefully optimize your website’s content to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) without knocking down the whole thing.
- It involves techniques like keyword research, link building, copywriting and on-page optimization to improve your website’s visibility.
- SEO is a long-term strategy that requires consistent patience, like growing a garden.
Benefits
- SEO can save you money, like finding a coupon for your favorite store. Once you’re at the top of the SERPs, you’ll get free traffic to your website for a very long time.
- Showing up high on search results can obviously improve your website’s credibility and authority in your industry.
- SEO can deliver highly targeted traffic to your website, resulting in more qualified leads and conversions; you will be the needle found in the haystack.
Pros
- SEO can provide long-term benefits that can continue to drive traffic and generate leads for years to come, like investing in a good pair of shoes that will last you a lifetime. The gift that keeps on giving.
- SEO is a more organic approach that can improve your website’s visibility and authority in a natural way.
- SEO is a solid, cost-effective way to generate leads and conversions over time.
Cons
- Optimizing your website with SEO can, by its very nature, take time to produce the desired results, and it can sometimes be difficult to predict when those results will come about.
- SEO requires ongoing effort, monitoring and maintenance to stay ahead of the websites that compete with you for high rankings. It’s like training for the Olympic Games – and then competing there.
- SEO work can be impacted by algorithm updates and sometimes changes by the search engines (Google, Bing, etc.) to ranking factors.
The Clickers: PPC
Features
- PPC advertising is like going on a shopping spree. You’re bidding on keywords and paying for clicks on those keywords to drive traffic to your website.
- It typically involves placing ads (and paying for clicks on them) on search engine results pages (SERPs) and other websites to attract potential customers.
- PPC is a more immediate way to drive traffic to your website – instant (but, as we’ll see, fleeting) gratification.
Benefits
- PPC can deliver immediate results, with ads appearing (alongside other paid ads) on search engine results pages. It’s like getting front row seats at a concert.
- If well executed, PPC can be highly targeted, allowing you to reach specific audiences based on demographics, interests,
and behaviors. - PPC can provide valuable data and insights into your audience and their search behavior, helping you with your work.
Pros
- PPC can be a highly effective way to generate leads and conversions quickly (especially with the help of great landing pages.)
- PPC is a flexible approach, allowing you to adjust your ads and targeting at any time based on performance.
- PPC can provide valuable data of your audience and their search behavior, enabling you to build further strategies based on your insights.
Cons
- PPC is expensive. Costs can add up very quickly (you can set budget limits, but this will impact your ads’ performance).
- PPC requires permanent, almost round-the-clock monitoring and management to ensure your click dollars are not being wasted.
- You will also need a professionally constructed and designed landing page to which your “clickers” will be directed.
- If you stop or even pause your campaign, you are immediately off all search results. Poof. Gone. This may well be the most impactful difference between SEO and PPC.
So? Who won the shootout?
Don’t be disappointed – but the answer is: it depends. (Are you surprised?).
SEO or PPC? It depends on your resources, budget, the urgency for results and even – on a different level – your temperament and the long or short view you’re taking.
If you are relatively new in your competitive environment, want to hit the road running and see initial results quickly, then PPC might be the right choice for you. CAVEAT: watch your budget, watch your dollars. Yes, you can set on the ad platforms a limit to your daily or weekly or monthly budgets, but when the dollars dry out, your ads vanish. And at that point there is very often a temptation to increase your budget. This doesn’t even take into account that some of those costly clicks might be just casual clicks by viewers who may never use your items or services in the first place.
So, in PPC, often it’s either your ads that dry out or your money. That said, smart strategies can avoid these traps, but they require expertise.
However, a definite and mitigating upside of PPC is its flexibility: you can adjust and tweak your ad strategies instantly, and as often as you like, the moment you see any trend (negative or positive). And trends are usually visible pretty soon. This can soften the impact of the costs.
On the other hand, if you are the patient and systematic type and are not in a rush to see immediate results, then SEO is your choice. SEO is a smart, thought-out strategy. CAVEAT: SEO needs expertise, and the results take time. But (other than paying your SEO guy) costs are predictable, limited and over time much lower than for PPC. Search results and clicks are totally free, and once you are ranking, you are likely to rank for a long time (assuming you keep your SEO results nurtured and happy). This is great for your branding and authority.
An even shorter summary:
PPC is a fickle relationship that’s easy to start and gives you instant, sometimes costly highs but leaves you the moment you stop paying. PPC behaves to you by what you are prepared to give.
As against that, SEO is a dependable relationship that takes much longer to get into but is not out for your wallet and will remain loyal for a long time. SEO behaves to you by what you are (i.e.: the quality and content of your website).
Almost like in real life, isn’t it?
What to do? Based on the above summary, you be the judge, since you know best what’s good for you (although we’ll be happy to assist you with your decision).
That said, some research shows that a cautious, simultaneous employment of both strategies can lead to good results: generating some quick income with PPC, while at the same time building for the future with SEO. Such a combination can be quite effective, of course depending on your resources. So, you may want to consider this as well.
What’s your take? Let us know.
