Boosting traffic on your website is essential for visibility and there are two options to choose from – SEO and PPC. Separately, you can find what is best for your needs and budget but combining the two may give you more bang for your buck. They are more complementary than opposite. Here is why SEO is important to PPC:
SEO stands for “search engine optimization” and is a marketing discipline that uses both creative and technical elements to improve rankings, drive traffic, and improve ratings. This means using specific words on your site, links to your site from others, and ensuring that your site is built so that search engines can recognize it. Search engines are the primary way internet users find what sites to visit. In today’s web traffic you want your site to stand out and on top so that users find you first. Search engines do most of the work but still need help with how to target traffic to your site. Here is where the right SEO can make or break your site and provide returns that traditional marketing cannot.
Pay-per-click, or PPC, allows businesses and individuals to purchase listings in the search results of search engines. This allows them to be seen above or before non-paid or “organic” search results and in return, you pay the search engine every time a user clicks on the listing. Ad spots are sold at auction and if you are the highest bidder you come out number one. PPC is great because it generates traffic fast with some systems producing targeted traffic within minutes. PPC differs from SEO in how quickly it can adapt to user behavior. Most PPC campaigns can be tailored to meet customer interests and trends within hours whereas more organic marketing can take weeks. The downside to using PPC is the price tag. Auctions can run up costs very quickly and, just like eBay, you can get caught in a bidding war.
SEO and PPC do not have to be used exclusively. In fact, sites can benefit from both strategies being used in tandem. A well-run and thought-out SEO program will help your PPC campaign spend less money and get better conversion rates. Here’s how:
Quality Score
Your website is assigned a quality score that is based off of the keyword that people are searching for. For instance, if you are bidding on the keyword “purple widgets” and you lead people to a page that has purple, red and blue widgets on it, then you likely have an OK quality score. If you lead them to a page that focuses solely on purple widgets, has plenty of SEO-friendly content about them, has an easy way to find what they are looking for and is highly relevant, then you will have an even higher quality score. What does that mean for your PPC? A higher quality score means less money paid to gain the click (and likely, the conversion).
Conversion Rate
So, you’ve gained the coveted click, and now there’s a potential customer on your landing page and they are looking for reasons to call your business. A website that has been SEO optimized will generate a higher conversion rate than a website that hasn’t. Why, you ask? When a landing page is properly designed, it puts all of the relevant information above the fold and in plain view along with contact information and a way for the viewer to find more information (should they require it).In conclusion, you can see plenty of gains when using either PPC or SEO, but the biggest returns and the best choice for your business are utilizing both at the same time. Not only will you be focusing on the short-term with PPC, by keeping your spend low and returns high, but you will also be focusing on the long-term with SEO, by ensuring your that you website is clear, concise and technically sound so your organic traffic will increase. Contact Baggies Web Solutions today to get started!
