March 17, 2023

SEO vs. PPC: What’s the Best Marketing for a Small Business?

Two of the most popular marketing types dominate the marketing field. These two have effectively helped increase the conversion rate in many companies.

If you plan to try your luck with digital marketing, you should look into SEO and PPC. These two popular marketing types are significantly different marketing practices that are cost-effective, which every business wanting to expand its reach should consider.

But which marketing technique works better for you? If you’re currently confused about which option to go for, here’s a brief comparison of SEO and PPC.

What is SEO (Search Engine Optimization)?

SEO is digital marketing that aims to make your site visible organically. This means it relies on your creativity and techniques in producing good content. SEO aims to ensure that your site ranks higher on the search engine result page (SERP) so that more visitors (traffic) can come and visit your site.

To attract global audiences, you can bet on SEO to reach further. But it’s not only effective for international markets, as it works wonders for your local audience too. The internet’s algorithm makes it possible for users to display results that are published near their location. So, you can expect local audiences to see your site higher on the SERP, especially if you also make effective content.

However, if writing content for SEO is not your strongest suit, focus on hiring local agencies in your area. For instance, if you’re from Sydney, hire a highly-rated and leading SEO agency in Australia. They have first-hand knowledge and information about the country’s culture, allowing them to employ strategies that work well with the locals.

Moreover, in writing SEO content, you must consider its vital elements to improve your work. Search engines’ algorithms are rather particular about how they rank the websites on SERPs, and the only way you can rank better is when you know what you’re doing.

To help you, here are the primary elements of an excellent SEO strategy:

  • Keyword. Keywords are vital elements in most digital marketing techniques, including SEO. A keyword can help the search engine’s algorithm rank you better in relevant searches from various users, which helps drive traffic to your site. That’s why before you start making content, you must do your best to research keywords that fit your company and the products/services you offer.
  • Content. To make your business thrive, you should be mindful of your competition. One way to beat them in SEO is to write and publish good content to help solve the user’s concern. Keep in mind that when a user turns to search engines, they’re looking for something. So, to appear in a particular SERP, you must create relevant content that satisfies the user’s questions.
  • Meta Tags. It’s a snippet of code that informs the search engine about what your webpage presents. For instance, in Google’s SERP, the meta tags are the blue lines that serve as the link’s title and the brief description just below the title, which is the description. Google engines use this information to process and recognize millions of web pages’ content, then rank them according to relevancy.

What is PPC (Pay-Per-Click)?

PPC or PPC ads are the types of advertisements where advertisers (you) have to pay for a spot on another site’s pages. In other words, PPC is a click-and-pay scheme where you pay the publisher every time a user clicks on the ad. The most popular type of site where advertisers fight for a spot in Google’s SERP. If you’ve used this search engine, these are the first few links you see on the SERP. Also, PPC can be in the form of a banner or photo.

As simple as it sounds, PPC entails a rather complicated and tedious process that’s more than just paying for every click. To learn more, here are the primary elements of this digital marketing strategy.

  • Keywords. Like in SEO, keywords are also vital in PPC. These keywords are the possible things that users look up on search engines related to your business. That’s why you must continually investigate the most popular keywords to keep displaying your ads on the SERP. However, you must ensure that it’s relevant and expansive.
  • Bidding. If you plan to pay for a spot on Google, or other widely visited sites, like Facebook, you’ll have to bid with other companies. Sites like the ones mentioned present related keywords to their clients and collect data on the number of average searches. Companies then are left to decide how much they’re willing to pay for the particular keywords, and then fight for them by increasing their initial prices.
  • Landing Page. The landing page is the website where users will be redirected after clicking your PPC. It’s one of the most critical PPC elements that can help conversion. That’s why you must prepare your site to get the interest of your casual browsers. Present them with the searches they came for and always show the relevant results.

What is the Best for Your Company?

Ultimately, the best type of marketing is the one that works best for your company. No matter how effective it can be to others, all that matters is what fits your budget and goals. That’s why it’s best if you have initial knowledge of what each technique can offer you. After examining SEO and PPC, which one do you think is the best fit for your business?

About the author 

Peter Hatch


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