SEO vs PPC: Which Is Better for Your Business?

You have a business and if you haven’t yet shared it online, then you probably need to acquaint yourself with the 21st century of human evolution.

In the present world, going digital is the norm irrespective of which corner we are sitting on this oblate spheroid world.

We live more online and hence by default, it’s only wise for a business to have an online presence via its website.

Well, if you do have a website then you’ve done the easy part. The real challenge lies in getting a steady flow of targeted traffic to it.

After all, a website is only as alive and functional as the number of visitors it can garner. In other words, traffic keeps the website going. The visitors are the life source of any website.

A website is your visiting card, the identity of your business as well as your marketing tool. The more the number of visitors it is capable to attract, the higher the chances of gaining customers.

This is so because hidden within a large number of visitors to the website are a small number of potential customers who’ll pay for using your services or products.

Hence, it is obvious that the success of a business is directly proportional to the number of people it attracts.

Thus we reach the eternal question every business owner with a website ponders upon, which is better? SEO or PPC?

However, there is no definite or general answer to this quagmire since it all depends on what your objectives and the current situation is? Is your website a new or a seasoned one? And what or how the marketplace is?

In most cases and as per tradition, it may be noted that organic search delivers more visitors at a relatively cost-effective price than paid search.

Having said that, the strategy of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) may not work as a good tactic for a new website.

After all, a Paid Per Click (PPC) search will provide faster-targeted search marketing which can be tracked and hence tuned efficiently.

Whether you are a newbie or an experienced website owner, the dilemma of SEO vs PPC haunts you all equally.

It all comes down to where your website stands on the top search engines and what your goals are? To better understand the choice, let us first understand what SEO and PPC are?

What is SEO?

SEO is a method used to get a higher or better ranking on search engine result pages (SERPs) which helps in achieving quality and quantity of traffic to your website.

Top Reasons to Use SEO

There are many reasons why SEO is generally preferred. Here are some of the prominent reasons to use SEO.

1. Higher ROI

SEO is an attractive option because you don’t need to spend money on every single keyword, unlike PPC.

You only need to optimize your website by following the necessary algorithms and guidelines. This form of gaining traffic to the website provides a great return of investment for almost nil requirement of money.

2. Price

In comparison to other digital marketing strategies, SEO is very cost-effective and gets you relevant traffic. It also improves brand awareness.

It may be noted that when a website reaches within the top five positions, it gets you more exposure than any marketing campaign.

3. Trust

By reaching into the top 5 SERPs, your website’s trustworthiness gets a tremendous boost. In other words, the higher the website ranks, the great its value in comparison to those beneath your ranking.

4. Sustainable

SEO takes time to reach its goals but it also has a far longer shelf period, unlike paid ads.

Once you’ve done SEO and achieved the desired rank, it will persist in its place even if you stop your SEO efforts. Meanwhile, in PPC, the growth halts as soon as the buck stops.

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What is PPC?

Pay Per Click or PPC is a form of search marketing where the advertiser has to pay a fee for every user click on their ad which is placed above the organic results of search engines.

The chief difference between SEO and PPC is that in the latter, you buy user visits while in the former, you earn it.

Top Reasons to Use PPC

Like SEO, PPC is also preferred for a variety of reasons chief of which are mentioned below.

1. Branding

PPC is an excellent way to spread and maintain brand awareness through ads displayed on a variety of online platforms.

Spending on Google ads which makes your ad stand above and unique from the organic search results attracts the user’s minds easily and keeps them reminded of your existence.

In other words, PPC ads make your brand the first choice.

2. Target Audience

The ads can be tuned for a specific audience based on time, date, location, or any other demographics. On one hand, SEO attracts many general users to the website of which, most may not be interested in what you are providing.

On the other hand, PPC can be targeted to a specific crowd of users who are looking particularly for what you selling. Thus, PPC can get you a better conversion rate than SEO.

3. Swift Visibility

In comparison to SEO, PPC offers increased and swift visibility. It may take some time to get the desired SERP ranking but PPC instead increases your visibility quickly at competitive costs.

4. Price

Unlike SEO which is largely free, PPC will require you to spend some hard cash for every keyword you want to target. Although it might look expensive, it does give great gains which are quicker than SEO.

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SEO vs PPC Comparison

There are several differences between SEO vs Paid ads. Although either provides promising options, both also have their ups and downs. This can be better understood by SEO vs PPC comparison on three chief differences.

1. Position

It is worth noting that PPC ads are always placed above the organic search results of a search engine. Meanwhile, organic SEO results line up beneath the paid ads.

Hence naturally, a user is more inclined to click on the ad than scroll down and find another website.

2. Cost

In PPC, the business pays for every single ad placed on top of the SERP. However, it is relatively free for organic SEO.

The rank gained on SERP through organic SEO is preferred by the search engine for their content which provides value to customers. Thus what you gain through SEO lasts longer while PPC gains remain as long as you pay.

3. Amount of Space

A SERP is akin to real estate in that, Paid Ads occupy the prime real estate. They are placed on top of the page which increases the chances of users seeing them.

But there’s a catch! The space provided to organic results is always more. Besides, organic results provide more information about themselves, unlike PPC which is pretty concise.

SEO vs Paid Ads Pros and Cons:

SEO or PPC?

There is no clear-cut answer which is better for it all depends on the situation that is unique to the given business. For example, a hyper-local business may need only a few leads per week and hence can depend or stick to SEO.

However, a new e-commerce store will face immense competition from major players since day one itself. Here, PPC will work better than SEO since the prior gives quick results than the latter.

Why Hire One City?

When it comes to SEO vs PPC, neither is better than the other but usually works best together. The choice between SEO and PPC may seem daunting but it all depends on your business goals.

You may wonder if you can do SEO on your own, but the short answer is “no”. There are certain services, and tweaking that only professional SEO like OneCity can provide.

Our decades of experience in the field of digital marketing can ensure your success in the world of online excellence. Reach out to our team and increase your search visibility immediately.

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