There might be hundreds of weird and wonderful ways you can get noticed on the internet (we all remember ALS’s ice bucket challenge, don’t we?) But two strategies dominate. PPC and SEO consistently top the list.
These two traffic-generating methods might sit side-by-side as the most popular marketing tactics. But in reality, they are very different styles of marketing.
If the terms are new to you, we’ve put together this short guide on the difference between SEO and PPC.
What is SEO?
SEO is all about getting to the number one spot on a Google search results page.
We aren’t talking about the ads, however. We are talking about the organic results that sit below the ads.
Getting a top ranking on Google for a popular keyword could bring thousands of visitors to your website every month. But you will have to go against some stiff competition to get those coveted positions.
To optimize your site for SEO, you’ll need to analyze the keywords your customers type into Google and then produce content to match those keywords and phrases.
You’ll also need to optimize that content to include the keyword in the title, description, and images.
Benefits of SEO
Is SEO worth it? Let’s examine some of the benefits:
- SEO takes time, but when you rank on Google, you are essentially getting free website traffic
- It helps build brand awareness as people will see your website name come up when searching for a particular keyword
- It’s a long-term strategy because once you do the work to rank a piece of content on Google, you could potentially get traffic from that content for years
It’s no surprise SEO is popular. Putting in some time to optimize your content might not provide instantaneous traffic. Still, it’s a sensible way to promote your website long-term.
What is PPC?
PPC is the super-charged way of reaching a massive new audience. You don’t need numerous keyword-optimized blog posts. You only need one page, some marketing funds, and an advertising platform.
The two biggest ad platforms are Google and Facebook. But other social media platforms provide advertising, such as TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter. And the Bing platform also offers a search PPC alternative to Google.
Hiring an agency for PPC services often includes the creatives, setting up a campaign, optimizing the campaign, and running reports. You can also discover more here about a newer method called SaaS PPC.
Benefits of PPC
What are the advantages of PPC compared to SEO? Here are some of the key benefits:
- It’s fast: you’ll start getting traffic within a day of launching your ad
- It’s flexible, as you can turn it on and off whenever you need more traffic or leads
- PPC targets ads, so you only show your brand to people likely to buy.
It’s easy to see why PPC advertising is so popular. Given the right ad creatives, it can help a startup become successful almost overnight.
The Key Difference Between SEO and PPC
Some people love SEO, whereas others insist on putting the entire marketing budget into PPC ads. So what’s the most striking difference between SEO and PPC?
It’s down to time. PPC is an instant solution, whereas SEO is a more long-term strategy. But if you want to learn more about either method, you can head to our business section to browse our related guides.