What Is the Difference Between SEO and PPC?

Posted by Eric James on April 14th, 2023

If you're a company that's been online for a while, you've probably heard the term "SEO" and "PPC." You may even own websites or blogs that display search engine optimization results. For many companies, SEO is free, while PPC usually requires a monthly fee. But what are the differences between the two methods and how do you decide which one is best for your company?

SEO is Completely Free

In a nutshell, SEO is completely free and is usually done on a per-link basis. PPC, on the other hand, is paid search ads. It requires writing pay-per-clicks for every keyword and for every ad group. SEO tends to be used by small companies and is considered the most effective when it comes to reaching out to clients in a specific geographic area or industry. PPC tends to target larger geographic areas or larger demographics, but can be extremely lucrative if you buy targeted traffic in large quantities.

What are the Pros and Cons of SEO vs. PPC?

In general, SEO tends to be more cost-effective than PPC. Since it doesn't require any purchase of traffic, there are no transaction fees associated with using SEO or any tracking or reporting of results. SEO can benefit your bottom line by driving organic traffic to your website, resulting in natural, or "in-bound" traffic, whereas PPC requires you to pay for traffic and can also result in high costs if you don't target your keywords correctly.

SEO is the Initial Boost of Visibility

Another advantage of SEO is the initial boost of visibility that it can provide. Once a website is in the top positions of a major search results list, its visibility can increase dramatically. Organic traffic is free and there is no guarantee that your website will show up when a search engine user searches for the terms you are targeting. This is one reason why pay-per-clicks can be so effective.

PPC Ads are Less Noticeable in Search Results

PPC ads are less noticeable in search results, although this can be altered to affect your rankings. You must bid on keywords with high search volume and pay for them to be displayed on sponsored links. Pay-per-clicks can be effective because advertisers only pay when someone clicks on their advertisements. However, they are not guaranteed exposure because most people search for their keywords using search engines, not sponsored links.

Advantage of both SEO and PPC Campaigns

An advantage of both SEO and PPC campaigns is the ability to generate new traffic to your website without the expense of new products or services. Both methods are entirely passive. Your website and advertising campaigns do not require any maintenance or investment in new products or services. You can implement both methods at the same time to increase the number of visitors to your site. However, SEO campaigns can help to drive more qualified traffic to your site. PPC can also be helpful if you are just starting out and have not established a strong page ranking.

With the Help of PPC

With PPC, you bid on pay-per-click keywords and the ads are shown in search results based on the number of clicks your ads get. If someone clicks on your advertisement, you will pay a predetermined amount. PPC may be more effective for small, niche websites that do not have a large amount of traffic compared to organic traffic. If you do not have a large amount of traffic, you can use SEO in order to achieve better rankings in the search results. SEO is effective when you have a large number of quality links pointing to your site.

Conclusion

The choice between organic search marketing and PPC advertising should be carefully considered. Both methods can bring you great results. Organic search marketing can prove more beneficial in the long run, especially when used with a digital marketing strategy. PPC can quickly boost your sales and profits if used properly. However, you must have a good understanding between the two before you choose which one to use.