PPC Vs Article Marketing

Posted by Directions AE on December 27th, 2019

There are many ways to advertise online. Also, there are many digital marketing agencies worldwide which are providing PPC services like Directions AE they are providing one of the best Pay Per Click Marketing in Dubai UAE However, the two "big guns" are to be PPC (pay per click) and article marketing. In fact, the battle for supremacy between these two methods has heated the Internet ether for some time now. PPC is "paid marketing" while article marketing is a form of natural search engine optimization - usually combined with other link-building activities. Is there a clear-cut winner here yet? Which one is better? Does one offer you a better ROI than the other?

A quick glance through search results on the questions above will give you some rather conflicting information. It seems that some tout PPC as the single best way to go, while others side with article marketing and natural SEO as the most advantageous solution for everyone. To really get to the truth behind these disparities, you need to consider a few things, starting with the source of the information.

For instance, quite a bit of the store is set by both the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) and ComScore. However, these two entities are not exactly what you would call objective - the sponsors of the various studies conducted by these companies influence the results to a tremendous degree. You can count on studies sponsored by PPC companies to be favorable to PPC, to the exclusion of all else.

To really get to the bottom of the situation, you need to consider several factors. Both article marketing and PPC work - there's no question of that. However, determining which is best can be a bit difficult. Let's dig a little deeper into the question.

In order to make an informed decision between article marketing and PPC, you need to understand the criteria on which such a decision should be made. There are three main factors here: click-through rates, cost-effectiveness and the conversion ratio offered by the marketing method.

When a consumer uses a search engine to query for information, products or services, they're presented with ten search results immediately. There are fewer PPC listings than there are natural search results. This alone might be enough to keep that person from clicking on a PPC ad - if there are enough "real" results, then there's no need to take a chance by clicking on an advertisement. However, for a website to rank high enough in search engine standings to be in the top 10 results for a specific keyword, the content of the site has to be relevant to the query. In addition, there has to be relevant internal HTML code, which takes knowledge and expertise to implement.

Natural search results are just that. They're natural - there is no fee paid to be listed. PPC ads are the reverse. The company that has the highest bid will get top placement, whether their site is relevant to the consumer's search or not. Article marketing ensures that the best (highest relevancy) website is provided for the customer.

The crux of this issue is that PPC ads may or may not be what consumers want to find. Increasingly, consumers are learning this, as well. It only takes a few instances for a searcher to stop clicking on PPC ads at all. Current research shows that customers are searching for natural results more frequently. You'll even find that those who are heartily in favor of PPC admit that there is very little substance to them. They are short ads that use a few words to capture the searcher's attention. Often, those words are misleading, dishonest or downright false. When a user clicks the ad, they're taken to a sales page, which can immediately offend people, particularly those looking for real, viable information so they can make up their own minds.

Article marketing, on the other hand, is not a short-form method of marketing. In fact, it is an ideal way to present real information for consumers, so that they can make an informed decision regarding their needs. It's not necessarily about selling, but about informing and teaching. Article marketing gives consumers a full article chock-full of data, details and vital points. PPC ads don't say much of anything. While someone in a hurry might click on a PPC ad simply to save time (and often find they're actually wasting time), those who really want to make a good decision will always go with natural search results over advertisements.

As you can see, the question is not necessarily which one is better. It's more a question of what type of customer your business needs. Do you need to take advantage of those with little time to conduct a thorough search? Do you want customers who have the information they need to make a solid decision?

Of course, there are some things to be gained with PPC marketing methods. Below, you'll see some high points for both PPC and article marketing.

PPC Marketing

To get a real idea of the situation here, you need to know a few of the advantages offered by PPC advertising. The most significant benefit here is that you are able to generate instant results with PPC advertising. This is important because natural SEO takes time to provide results - time that you might not be able to afford. In fact, a well-placed ad can bring in a tremendous flood of visitors.

ComScore offered up statistics that put PPC in a positive light, showing that users had an 18.3% click-through-rate "paid" search results. In comparison, organic search results only had a 4.3% click-through rate. ComScore also showed higher conversion rates, with PPC at 1.4% versus 0.6% for organic SEO.

Article Marketing and Organic

article Marketing and Organic SEOAccording to most research, 95% of Internet searchers will read the first three pages of search results when they want to find real information. The majority of those individuals will click on a search result, rather than a PPC advertisement. Article marketing also generates long-lasting results. While organic SEO is not instantaneous, it can far surpass PPC in terms of longevity and viability - an article can theoretically generate traffic for you forever.

Some of the most reputable sources weighed in for organic SEO, though with names like iProspect and Webxico showing that 77% of search users choose organic results instead of PPC ads. Some studies also showed that organic CTR generated 25% higher conversion rates than equivalent PPC click-through.

The Underlying Problem for Marketers

The real issue here is not initial cost or performance, it is longevity. With PPC ads, you will pay an immense amount of money to have a high volume of traffic for a short time. In addition, managing PPC campaigns can be onerous, as it can consume an immense amount of time.

You'll also find that PPC campaigns can pose problems in another area - the cash outlay required to keep them running. While the economy is showing signs of new life, that hasn't trickled down to the average business just yet. So, unless you have some deep pockets to keep your campaigns funded, you'll find that they can quickly drain your limited cash reserves. Therefore, they have little longevity - none compared to the amount of time that article marketing can drive traffic where you want it.

Article marketing offers you another important advantage - the trust of your customers. Increasingly, PPC ads are looked at askance. They can be misleading, and many consumers find them untrustworthy. As Internet users become increasingly savvy, the limited benefits offered by PPC campaigns dwindles further. Article marketing, on the other hand, increases ineffectiveness, as it provides your customers with what they want - real information on which to base their decision.

To sum up, PPC ads go defunct as soon as you stop funding them. That can be quite soon in many instances. Article marketing continues to deliver traffic for as long as the website is operating - in perpetuity, very possibly. While PPC has its place, it should be obvious by now that article marketing is a superior marketing method for businesses, and offers some significant advantages.

Article marketing offers natural search engine results (which are highly preferred over PPC ads), and also gives you a higher level of trust in your customers. Finally, article marketing simply costs less - you have no cost outlay for landing pages, ongoing keyword bids or domain names that you really don't need. It also helps build links back to your website, which is an invaluable benefit with the weight that Google places on high-ranking backlinks.

ROI: PPC vs. Article Marketing

How do both of these methods stack up in terms of return on your initial investment? Well, that depends on what you are looking at as a return. If you want instant traffic and immediate sales, then PPC does offer a good ROI, at least initially. However, over time, that ROI will erode and you'll end up paying more for each customer than you might think possible.

Article marketing, at least on first inspection, has a slower ROI. That is, you will see very little instant return on your investment. However, there are two significant considerations here. First, your investment will be much lower as it is less costly to market via articles than it is through PPC campaigns. Second, your return will be far, far longer lasting. Long after you can no longer remain competitive on specific keywords, articles will still be driving traffic.

In addition, several studies have suggested that organic ROI is more consistent than PPC. Gord Hotchkiss explained the situation. Suppose you have 50 high traffic search terms. For these 50 terms, there are 2.8 million searches each month. Using ComScore's stats, that equals 456,000 visitors for PPC and 153,000 visitors from article marketing.

The actual cost of the 456,000 PPC visitors would be higher than 0,000, with a CPC of .18. Even with the highest priced SEO company (with charges of about ,000 per month), you are only paying ,000, rather than 0,000. Therefore, article marketing's virtual CPC is --content--.07. Even accounting for PPC's higher conversion rate, 3,647, you're still forking over 7.08 per person. Now, contrast that with the 611 visitors from article marketing and you are paying .37 per person. That also gives you a higher quality of customers and generates traffic for eternity.

You also need to consider the quality of the traffic that both methods drive to you. PPC campaigns are far more likely to generate traffic that bounces out. Even if you enjoy a relatively high conversion ratio, you'll still be paying many times more for each customer than you would through article marketing.

Article marketing generates higher-quality customers with a greater potential to return and make another purchase. This offers significant benefits, as you do not have to attract them again - repeat customers come at no cost.

Finally, article marketing is just a onetime investment - you pay for the article to be created, and that is it. With PPC, you have ongoing costs for the keywords that you target, and, as mentioned, those costs can become exorbitant. Article marketing will actually repay you for the cost of article creation over time, while PPC will do little more than drain your funds.

Both PPC and article marketing have their place. Increasingly, companies are choosing to combine the two - with PPC campaigns targeting low-cost keywords that may or may not result in immediate traffic and their articles targeting high-worth keywords. However, article marketing still stands as the best option for those who want high-quality traffic and long-lasting results from their marketing efforts.