SEO vs PPC: Which is better for your marketing?

Eric Caldwell
7 min readMay 5, 2022
Which is better for your small business? SEO or PPC?

Search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click advertising (PPC) are both viable options to grow your business. It’s important to determine which will work best for you so you can put your resources into the campaigns that provide the most value to your company. PPC campaigns allow you to advertise on Google, Yahoo!, Bing, and other search engines. When someone performs a search, they’re shown relevant ads related to their search terms. You can also choose keywords that will trigger ads or create an ad group that targets specific websites or pages on your site. On the other hand, SEO is focused on making sure people find your website when using Google Search. Here are some ways SEO and PPC can help.

What is SEO?

SEO is the process of optimizing your website to rank higher in search engine results. This means finding the keywords and phrases that are most relevant to your niche and optimizing your site so it’s easy for search engines to find and index it.

You can do this by changing your content, coding, and making sure you have the right URL structure. When you optimize your site for SEO, it not only helps people find you when they search for your products or services, but it can also help with other ways of marketing like — social media marketing.

With SEO, you’ll be able to rank higher on the search engine page which means more people will be able to find your site. You can also help people find you on social media by optimizing your content to include the right keywords.

What is PPC?

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is an effective way to reach your target audience. It’s a form of online advertising that allows you to target potential customers via their geographic location, interests, and other factors. With PPC, you can choose to focus your ads on specific demographics, like people in a certain state or city, or on specific interests. This is especially useful for reaching people who are actively looking for what you have to offer.

Many businesses also use PPC to track conversions. If someone clicks on your ad and purchases your product or service, the click becomes a conversion. This is helpful because it helps you understand what’s working and what isn’t.

So how does PPC compare to SEO? PPC can be used to immediately reach your target audience, and SEO may take time before it starts working. With SEO, you’re waiting for search engines to rank your website higher in the SERPs.

Deciding which strategy to invest in depends on your business needs and your budget. Let’s say you have a brick-and-mortar store in New York City and want to get the word out about it. You may want to focus more on PPC,

Benefits of SEO

SEO is beneficial because it doesn’t cost anything to implement unless you hire an expert to manage your SEO (we highly recommend this approach). You can also take advantage of the long-term benefits SEO provides, like higher rankings in search engine results. This will give you a competitive advantage against your competition.

SEO is also a long-term investment for your company because it does not cost anything to implement, again unless you hire and agency. You can also reap the benefits of SEO for a while because the better your website ranks in search engine results, the more people will come to visit your site.

Benefits of PPC

PPC campaigns are an effective way to generate traffic to your website. Fifty-five percent of marketers say PPC campaigns are the most effective form of digital marketing. It’s important to invest in PPC campaigns because it’s well worth the time and energy.

PPC campaigns allow you to reach the people who are the most interested in your business. Let’s say you own an e-commerce store that sells running shoes. You’re trying to find new customers through search, but you want people who are actively searching for “running shoes” on Google. With PPC, you can target these people and get them to visit your website and make a purchase.

Additionally, PPC campaigns give you the ability to track how many potential customers see your ads. You can see how many people click on your ads and visit your site, which will help you determine if the campaign is successful and worth investing in.

Choosing the right type of marketing for your business

You can use SEO or PPC to promote your business online. It’s important to choose the right type of marketing for your business.

PPC campaigns are great for advertising on search engines like Google, Yahoo!, and Bing. You can also choose keywords that will trigger ads or create an ad group that targets specific websites or pages on your site. On the other hand, SEO is focused on making sure people find your website when using Google Search.

So, who should use PPC campaigns?

If your business is just starting out or you have a seasonal product, PPC can be a great option. You can quickly start generating revenue by targeting customers who are actively searching for what you have to offer. If you have a more established business with a target customer base, SEO may be a better option to reach your target audience.

What about SEO?

With SEO, you’ll be working with search engines to make sure your website ranks high in search engine results. It’s a more strategic approach since you’re not only relying on traffic from people who are actively searching for what you have to offer. You’re also generating organic traffic from people who are searching for something related to but not the same

Consider which one will work best for your business

When it comes to SEO vs PPC, there are pros and cons to both. SEO is great for bringing customers to your website, while PPC ads are great for getting your business noticed.

SEO benefits include brand awareness, long-term website growth, and higher rankings. You can also optimize your website to make it more search engine friendly.

PPC benefits include quick results and the ability to target your audience. You can set a maximum daily budget that will help you control your costs.

So which one should you choose? It really depends on the goal of your business. If you’re looking for immediate results, PPC ads are the way to go. If you’re looking for long-term growth, SEO may be the better option.

It’s important to know the benefits of both before deciding which one to invest your resources in.

Decide if you want to compete with other businesses or not

With SEO, you can target relevant keywords and phrases that will bring people to your site. With PPC, you can choose keywords and phrases that trigger ads or create an ad group that targets specific websites or pages on your site.

So, which one is for you? It depends on what kind of marketing campaign you’re looking to run. For example, if you want to target a certain type of customer and focus on specific issues and interests, then SEO is the best option for you.

However, if you want to reach a very specific group of people and don’t want to compete with other businesses for those customers, PPC is the way to go.

The right marketing strategy depends on your goals and what you’re trying to accomplish as a company. SEO and PPC offer distinct benefits and can help your business grow. So make sure you choose the one that’s the best fit for your company!

Think about how much time and money you have

SEO and PPC are both effective marketing methods, but you need to think about which one is right for you.

PPC

  • PPC campaigns are the quickest way to reach your audience.
  • They allow you to target people who are specifically looking for your brand.
  • They’re incredibly easy to set up and start running.
  • PPC allows you to create ads that are location-specific.
  • You can target your audience easily by setting up search terms or targeting specific websites or pages on your site.
  • PPC campaigns are the most cost-effective option for smaller businesses trying to grow their audience.

SEO

  • SEO allows you to rank higher in search engine rankings, which builds credibility for your business and helps drive more traffic to your site.
  • SEO takes time, but it offers long-term benefits for your business.
  • SEO campaigns are the most effective option for buyers who want to start a new business or change their product line.
  • You can use SEO campaigns to promote your business, product, or service on social media by targeting specific users who are interested in what you have to offer.

Want to learn more about how WebJIVE can help you with digital marketing? Click here to visit our website where you can use our Calendly to schedule a time to meet.

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Eric Caldwell
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Being a corporate expat, I founded WebJIVE to serve the small business community with premium SEO and web design services. The future isn’t behind us!