SEO vs Paid Ads – Is it a Matter of Faster versus Better?

SERP, is the page you see after entering a query into Google, Yahoo, or any other search engine…

What’s the Difference?
There are two key differences when considering SEO or PPC. The first is that paid ads appear at the top of the page, above the organic listings influenced by SEO. The second is that traffic from organic via SEO is free, whereas traffic from PPC has a cost for each click.

Which One Works Better?
SEO is usually more effective for local searches and can grow your online presence for longer. Pay-per-click (PPC), on the other hand, is an acquisition strategy that requires you to spend ad money to get your content in front of an audience when they search for specific keywords online.

What Are the Costs?
Paid search has a direct cost, in that businesses must pay for their ads to appear on search engine results page. SEO has no direct cost. Placement in organic results is provided for free by search engines, making it a much more cost-effective strategy over the long term.

Search listings are free, and no one can pay for a better ranking. Running a Google Ads campaign does not help your SEO rankings, despite some myths and claims. However, PPC ads can help connect with a wider audience online.

Does PPC Affect SEO?
Paid advertising does not directly affect your website’s organic search rankings. This is a very common misconception, but the reality is, SEO does not directly impact AdWords, and AdWords does not directly impact your SEO.

Both SEO and paid search ads can benefit your business and provide amazing ROIs. But ONLY if you know when to use them for maximum effect. Ultimately, which digital marketing channel you choose and when you use it depends on your goals.

To discover how to maximize your advertising click here.