Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Pay-Per-Click (PPC) are both prevalent modes of marketing on search engines. Most marketers are often faced with a dilemma of choosing between the two. This is mainly because each has its own advantages and drawbacks.

To figure out which one may be best suited for your business, have a look at how they stack up against each other.

SEO

  1. SEO is a long-term strategy. And while it takes time to rank high in search results, the results are rewarding. You can get sustained traffic for a long time.
  2. It can help improve brand awareness and authority, especially when you start ranking higher in search results.
  3. About 82% of all marketers feel that the effectiveness of SEO is rising. And about 42% of them think that its rise is significant.
  4. SEO can bring in about 15 times more clicks than PPC advertising.
  5. Through SEO, you can rise high above your competitors. If done well, it can be difficult for your competitors to displace you.

PPC

  1. PPC is a short term strategy. And the results you get from it are almost instant. This is very helpful when you have a sale coming up.
  2. You can define your target audience based on a number of demographic factors and interests. This makes it possible to get highly-targeted traffic.
  3. The ROI is reasonably good too. For every $1.60 invested in Google Ads, you can get $3. This is perhaps the reason why 40% of brands plan on increasing their PPC budgets in 2019.
  4. Scaling up can be done quickly with higher bid amounts. This can make your ads appear more prominent in search results.
  5. It can help you increase your brand awareness by up to 80%
  6. . It’s great for increasing conversions as you can target commercial keywords and direct people to your landing pages.

An effective search engine marketing strategy uses a combination of SEO and PPC. While SEO helps you rank your website higher in the long-term, the PPC ads can be helpful when you have flash sales or limited-time promotions.

To decide which one is the best for you, you need to first decide your goal. If you want to generate traffic or become an authority in your niche, SEO is the way to go. But, if you want to increase conversions for a short duration, PPC is the best bet for you.

The choice also depends on your products or services. If you have a service-oriented company, it might be a good idea to become an authority in your niche through SEO. However, if you’re selling products, you may benefit more from PPC by directly selling the products through Google Ads.

Your industry matters as well. If you’re in an industry where there are already several established brands, it can take a lot of time to build authority. In such a situation, PPC ads can help you build brand awareness quicker than SEO.

For more information on both, check out the infographic below.

SEO or PPC: Which should you choose for your business?