Using the Right Tools – Which is best PPC or SEO?

It’s Pepsi or Coke, ketchup or mayo… Or is it? Marketers have been hearing about pay-per click (PPC) and search engine optimisation (SEO) for years now and while some will extol one over the other, the truth is that it’s not down to preference – each technique will work best in different circumstances.

It’s more like apples and oranges

Neither PPC or SEO is better or more effective than the other; each has its own place in online marketing and ideally, they should work together. Any company worth its marketing salt should know this. There are still pros and cons to each tool though, so read on to find out more.

PPC is best for fast and pin-pointed traffic

PPC is a really good way to get yourself in front of your target audience by placing ads on Google, Twitter and Facebook. These platforms allow marketers to reach the people they want to reach without paying for exposure to the ones they’re not interested in. PPC is also immediate – as soon as the content and the links are out there, people will start clicking on them.

However, the cost of PPC can seem exorbitant – sometimes tens of dollars per click for the high-end and ultra-competitive niches. The benefit of this, though, is the high conversion rate – sometimes up to 80% – makes the cost worthwhile. Unfortunately, as soon as the ad budget runs out, traffic and conversions screech to a halt.

SEO is a slow burner

SEO takes its time to work as it’s more organic. Even the best SEO campaigns can take up to six months to start bearing fruit. However, once the campaign and its content are out there, it’s pretty much there forever and the keywords can carry on ranking for months afterward. SEO also links to other sites, and other companies and really gets the word out all over the internet.