When you want your business to reach a larger audience but your marketing’s on a budget, explore the difference between PPC campaign management and SEO.

What’s the best way for your business website to convert search engine traffic?

Is it through traditional listings using SEO? Or will you see better results via PPC campaign management services?

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, over 50% of Internet users spend more time shopping online than before.

Industries like fashion and home furnishings have doubled their visitor count since January. Traffic is higher than ever so what’s the best way for sites to target these potential customers?

This article examines the two main advertising methods: PPC vs SEO.

We break down the major differences then compare their strengths and weaknesses. We look at PPC management and SEO services and see if they’re worth the cost.

So read on to discover who is the winner in the SEO vs PPC debate.

What Is Search Engine Optimization?

SEO refers to how your site is best presented to Google to rank high in its results.

Why Google? Because the search engine giant dominates, having over 91% of the market share.

Google’s organic or traditional results appear when you carry out a search. It doesn’t cost to get listed but it’s difficult to get on the first page, especially for competitive keywords or search phrases.

SEO techniques help your site rank higher on Google’s organic listings. Examples include:

  • Designing your site for mobile users first
  • Ensuring your navigation works and is easy to use
  • Including keywords in your content
  • Not over-including keywords i.e. spamming
  • Providing fresh content visitors want to read

Google also uses backlinks or websites that link to your pages as an indicator of a site’s importance.

The more quality links the better the site. Combine that with quality content, and Google’s guidelines state it will rise in its rankings.

What Is Pay Per Click?

PPC lets you target traffic for the keywords you want. And you only pay when someone clicks your advert, hence the phrase pay per click.

PPC ads appear above organic listings in Google. Their prominent position means they draw 65% more traffic. And they have a greater chance of getting on the first page with the right daily budget.

The advertising platform is called Google Ads.

Businesses build campaigns to manage their adverts. It’s free to sign up and get started. And once an ad is vetted it can appear on Google’s network within 24 hours.

Targeted Visitors

PPC ads provide a powerful way to target the visitors you want.

Simply enter your keywords into the free Keyword Planner tool. Results show what works and what doesn’t using historical data. Google also gives you suggestions to use.

Then you create your ad.

Choose if it’s local or select the geographic catchment area. Create your message within three lines. Then set a daily budget.

Each keyword has an estimated cost per click or CPC. Prices vary considerably so keywords need researching. Your budget gives an idea of how many clicks you’re liable to get per day.

PPC vs SEO

So what are the main differences between pay per click advertising and search engine optimization?

Let’s examine the pros and cons of each and see if one outperforms the other.

Upfront and Ongoing Costs

With PPC you know exactly how much you’ll spend at any given time.

You set a daily budget and when it’s gone your ads disappear until the next day. That means PPC is easier to manage and you can edit campaigns when you want.

On the other hand, organic listings are often referred to as free listings because you don’t pay to be there. However, SEO takes time, effort, and resources and these can come at a substantial cost.

Sourcing and creating quality backlinks is time-consuming. Writing blog content requires skill. And HTML coding knowledge is a must for some advanced SEO techniques.

Potential Traffic

Both methods offer huge traffic potential – if you appear on the first page of results.

When your keywords are competitive, PPC becomes expensive. SEO also gets a lot harder if you’re up against thousands of other sites.

PPC has the advantage of targeted traffic as you filter your ads to only show for a specific group. This needs careful management, but you will see a spike in a high-converting group of visitors.

Results and Time

SEO can take four to six months or even years to lift you to the top of the organic results. Whereas PPC ads appear within 24-48 hours if all goes well with the approval process.

A timely ROI is one of the main advantages of PPC advertising.

You can measure success and increase your budget on high-yielding ads. With SEO, it feels a bit hit-and-miss.

Converting Sales

Both methods use landing pages to start the sales funnel process.

You optimize a specific page on your site that’s geared for the ad keyword. Software like Google Analytics tracks your visitor’s journey to your call of action like paying online.

What visitors do on your site is more important than how they got there. So both PPC and SEO draw equal on this point when converting sales.

PPC Campaign Management

Pay per click offers better performance over SEO, especially in the short term.

However, managing and creating campaigns is time-consuming. And many businesses don’t have the time or resources to run their ads effectively.

Professional PPC ad management services offer the most effective way to run your campaigns.

They not only work on creating and amending your adverts but also research your competitors. You receive a weekly report on your ad performance. And the data’s backed-up through A/B unit testing.

Popular PPC campaign management providers like Digital Logic even offer a free PPC proposal.

They assess your current ad spend and marketing strategy. Then they help map out the best way forward. All the time keeping in mind your goals and advertising budget.

PPC Ad Management vs SEO Services

PPC has significant advantages over SEO but that’s not to say you ignore optimizing your website.

Remember, the visitors who click your ads need to land somewhere. If your site offers a poor experience, with broken links or slow load times, sales will disappear.

That’s why a two-fold approach is essential when marketing online.

A good PPC management provider will also offer SEO services. They’ll carry out an SEO audit to determine the current health of your website. And check your performance for desired keywords.

Content gets reviewed and adjustments are made. These can include heading optimization and adding image tags attributes. They will also register you on Google My Business and Google Search Console to track your site’s performance.

Make sure you incorporate PPC and SEO because both will bring in traffic and increase your online profile.

PPC Campaign Management and More at Crunchbase

Now you know the difference between SEO vs PPC campaign management, it’s time to research the right marketing data.

Crunchbase lets you discover innovative companies and market trends. Our live sales data helps identify new leads and prospects. That’s perfect for entrepreneurs and investors alike.

Talk to one of our reps about our API service. And try our Crunchbase Pro app for free to help boost your SEO services and website brand.