SEO to PPC Comparison

You want to try online marketing but are not sure whether to go with a "natural" or paid method. What do you do? This SEO to PPC comparison can help you decide.

A number of comparisons are used to provide a fuller picture.

SEO to PPC Comparison # 1: Functionality

To start this SEO to PPC comparison, let's talk about what each of those terms means.

SEO (search engine optimization) includes a variety of processes that can help your site rank better in search engine listings, but there is no guarantee of good placement.

With a PPC (pay per click) ad you get guaranteed placement in search engine listings, but your ranking depends on how much you are willing to pay per click on that ad. The amount is based on what you agree to bid for a specific keyword. In addition to paying per click, you also have to maintain a good click through rate (CTR) or the search engine will stop displaying your ad.

SEO to PPC Comparison #2: Workload

In this particular SEO to PPC comparison, PPC wins because you can see results faster than with SEO.

Both SEO and PPC require thorough keyword research. For PPC, you need to craft a short ad and develop a good, keyword-rich landing page for that ad. Your ad can be up and running in a matter of hours. From that point on, you must devote time to monitoring and analyzing your campaign for cost per click (CPC) and return on investment, and occasionally tweaking your ad copy to maintain a good CTR.

In SEO, you need to place your keywords where they will get results: in your content (especially in headings and internal links), in your filenames, and in your title tags. From there you need to look at your site's structure and develop a link building strategy. A good site optimization plan can take weeks to develop and implement and the "natural" search results you are hoping for can take several weeks to materialize. To gauge the success of your efforts, you need to analyze your site's statistics.

SEO to PPC Comparison #3: Cost

Any SEO to PPC comparison must address cost. With PPC, you are paying per click on your ad. You must be diligent about tracking your CPC and CTR or you could end up paying a bundle. If you do your SEO yourself, the only cost is your time.

In either case, if you hire a consultant to help you, your costs will, obviously, increase.

SEO to PPC Comparison #4: The Engines

PPC comparisons will all tell you that with the majors (Google and Yahoo), you might pay more per click, but you will get noticed faster. You may want to get your feet wet with one of the majors and then, to save money, investigate the smaller PPC engines.

With SEO, it is the majors who count. You can aim for smaller search engines, but you will not reach nearly as far.

SEO to PPC Comparison #5: The Winner?

There is really no way to declare a winner in this SEO to PPC comparison. These methods work best together. A good marketing strategy uses PPC to start building traffic while the SEO process takes place. Because they take little time to implement, PPC ads can start driving traffic to your site before your site is optimized. If you are worried about costs, you can use PPC for a limited time to generate some initial interest in your business, and then turn your full attention to SEO.