Very often, business owners come to us with the question: “Which is better for our business? PPC or SEO?” Answering this vital question is difficult without having a thorough understanding of the differences between SEO vs. PPC.

SEO vs. PPC: The Basics

SEO or search engine optimization is all about using certain techniques or practices to improve your website’s visibility on the search engines (such as Google and Bing). It is due to SEO practices that your website appears in Google search results every single time there is a relevant keyword search by an online user.

On the contrary, PPC (pay per click) is an advertising platform through which businesses can promote their products by paying for their ad placement on search engines. Other than promoting their products and services, a PPC campaign provides a business with an opportunity to connect with a wider audience and generate clicks to their website.

One of the fundamental differences between SEO and PPC is that the traffic generated through SEO is free, while as the name suggests, a business owner has to pay for the traffic generation from PPC.

Let’s look at the differences between SEO and PPC using the following considerations.

The Position of Your Website in Search Results

Where your website appears in search results depends upon several factors, including the keywords you use in your ad and the targeted keywords and keywords on your landing page. But do you know that 67% of the page clicks were on the top 5 posts? So if you are not among the top 5 searches, you are essentially invisible. Here is where SEO comes into play.

When you are using SEO, your content will appear in the first few pages of a search engine (like Google or Bing) only if your website is optimized and this includes both on-site and off-site SEO optimization.

On the other hand, PPC works differently. Your position will depend on the cost you are willing to pay per click. If you want to get your ad on the first page, you will have to pay a higher price per click.

Cost

As mentioned earlier, SEO and PPC are different in terms of cost. SEO traffic is free, and you don’t have to pay anything for your content placement online. All you need is a top-quality website in terms of design and content, along with a solid  SEO plan. However, if you are new to digital marketing and are not sure about how SEO works, you will have to hire the services of an SEO expert, and pay for that service.

In the case of PPC, you have to pay for each click your ad receives. Several factors can determine the cost you will have to pay per click. But the best part is that you will only have to pay for the clicks your ad receives that connects the customer with your business and not for every view. 

There is a cost attached to both SEO and PPC. For SEO, the cost may be indirect in case you cannot optimize your website yourself. But for PPC, you have to pay for every click that connects your customers to your business and how much you PPC depends upon several factors. 

Potential Traffic Generation

There is a difference between SEO and PPC in terms of potential traffic generation.

As far as SEO is concerned, if your website is among the top-ranked ones, you can expect to generate traffic for your business. Again, the traffic flow depends on several factors like the quality of your web content, the popularity and relevancy of keywords used, your website performance, and more.

However, traffic generation through SEO can be tricky for websites that are not among the top positions or have the second or third-page positions on the search engine.

On the other hand, PPC is a great way to generate traffic. PPC can generate more traffic. However, that would also mean a higher cost per click.

Ease of Use

Both SEO and PPC are not easy unless you have the required knowledge and skills. SEO is a slow process where positioning your content among the top search results can take months and even years. On the other hand, PPC may produce quick results, but again, it is something that requires hiring an expert or having some prerequisite knowledge of the domain.

Conversion 

Conversion refers to how many of your website visitors convert not only in terms of sales of product or services but also in terms of specific actions that may lead to sales in future (such as registering the newsletter, response to a call for action).

SEO and PPC differ in terms of conversion. A visitor from PPC is more likely to convert compared to a response by visitors through SEO traffic.

Which is better for our business? PPC or SEO?

Only with an understanding of the difference between SEO and PPC, you can decide which one is better for your business. While SEO and PPC are different, your business can greatly benefit if you use them together. Both PPC and SEO are a part of SEM (search engine marketing), which is an integral tool for digital marketing. To find out more about cost-effective digital solutions that can boost your business, get in touch now.