Fight! SEO Versus PPC; Which Marketing Tactic Wins?

Marketing, in all forms, is not easy. Businesses spend thousands employing PPC and SEO companies, but just as much on useless ones too. The two big online marketing tactics that are used today are SEO and PPC. They are both expensive, but they are proven methods that really do work.

What do they involve?

SEO – Search engine optimisation is the act of increasing organic search engine rankings. Without going into too much detail, things such as content optimisation and link building both help considerably. The majority of retailers will outsource this. As a form of online marketing, SEO is most effective in the long term.

PPC – Pay per click campaigns are used in a variety of places. They can be placed on websites relevant to the business niche, but also next to search engine listings. Effectively, this is a way of paying, all the way to the top! The ability to adapt campaigns quickly makes this a great form of online marketing for short term campaigns

Round 1; costs

The costs associated with both SEO and PPC are certainly not small. Packages for SEO can start at £500 per month upwards, with no guarantees relating to future rankings. PPC campaigns can be designed and implemented for a few hundred pounds, based on an ad-spend that the business decides on.

SEO	PPC
100s of suppliers charging different prices for what seems like the same service A project can escalate well over budget Cost remains constant, regardless of traffic No guarantee of traffic Price stays fairly constant	Prices are transparent Easy to develop accurate budget Cost escalates, as traffic increases Traffic will be guaranteed; a pay on results marketing opportunity Prices increase daily, as more competitors bid on keywords

Round 2; implementation

Implementing these tactics in an effective manner, will ensure that the ROI produced is reflective of what is really possible. SEO and PPC are both tactics that are complex. The major downside of SEO is that doing it in-house can take time. From a PPC point of view, there is the risk of wasting thousands, without any conversions.

SEO	PPC
Extremely complex Lot’s of time Expensive to outsource Hard to pick a provider Work can stop, results will stay	Easy to learn Easy to waste lots of cash Cheap to outsource Hard to pick a provider Once a campaign is live, only minor modifications and analysis are needed If budget stops, results will stop

Round 3; showdown

It is worth noting that some consumers will only click PPC ads on search engines, whereas others will aim for the organic listings. Not covering both bases will mean that a target audience is not being penetrated effectively. Essentially, PPC is perfect for short term campaigns and market testing. SEO should be incorporated heavily for long term campaigns.

SEO	PPC
Results will vary depending on keywords and position Results could take months Stable and reliable in the long term, regardless of budget Perfect for long term campaigns Not cost effective or functional for short term campaigns Tracking tools can be used to narrow down keywords Tends to get produce “generic” results, so overall traffic won’t be 100% targeted	Results based directly on spend Instant results Possibility of being unsustainable as ad spend increases Perfect for short-sharp campaigns, such as new product launches Great way to determine which keywords convert Tracking tools can be used to narrow down keywords Traffic can be 100% targeted

Developing targeted marketing campaigns

There are 100s of factors to consider. The ability to adapt a campaign quickly is one of them. When something comes into fashion, people won’t wait. They want it there and then!

This is where PPC wins hands down. Not only can a marketer split test campaigns and get almost instantaneous data to analyse, but they can change campaigns as and when they need to. The cost to test and adapt campaigns is minimal.

SEO focuses on ranking for individual search terms in the long term. This does not leave much scope to adjusting campaigns. To adapt a campaign, new pages and link building programs need to be implemented.