When it comes to comparing SEO and PPC, there are some key differences you should be aware of. While both focus on increasing traffic to your website, they are actually quite different in the means that they accomplish this. Depending on your industry and specific needs, the benefits of utilizing one of these types of marketing may outweigh the other.

SEO Marketing

SEO traffic is free, but the work involved to get that traffic is more rigorous. It requires optimizing and producing a myriad of content, social media posts and more in order to rank for targeted keywords in your industry. Usually a SEO campaign can take several months before you see any real results, but once traffic starts coming, the traffic is basically cost-free. One of the keys to ranking is to be an information leader in your industry.

PPC Marketing

PPC marketing are the labeled ads that you will find at the top of Google’s search results. Every time you click one of those ads and visit the corresponding website, the company is paying for that click. Companies will bid on certain keywords to be at the top of those results. For example, a store selling soccer jerseys might bid on keywords such as soccer jerseys, Real Madrid jerseys, and Messi jerseys in their PPC campaigns. This will lead people searching for those keywords to see their ads. Of course, other businesses also bid on those keywords, so who gets the top spots? That comes down to whoever is willing to bid the most in conjunction with a quality score. Google wants to show relevant ads to their customers, so it isn’t just about having the highest bid, but it’s also about how relevant your site is to the keywords you are targeting. At the end of the day, however, you are still paying for this traffic and it can be quite costly depending on the keyword you are targeting.

Which Is Right For You?

Consumers will sometimes skip the the top-placed ads and scroll to the non-ad results because they show a strong sense of reputation and knowledge of the industry, rather than just a company that is paying to be at the top of the results. The costs associated with SEO typically provide a greater ROI in the long run.

PPC, on the other hand, costs more money from the get go, but with testing and optimization over time, it can be extremely effective and provide excellent traffic and conversions.
So, which one is right for you? It all depends on your budget and how fast you want results. Nonetheless, there is also no problem with combining the two. Try your hand at both and determine what works best, but remember that SEO takes a bit more patience to see results shine through.