SEO vs PPC, Which is the Best and Which to Choose

The higher the website traffic, the more successful the online business that is run. Therefore, marketers must start considering digital marketing strategies such as SEO vs PPC that are right for their business.

Both SEO and PPC have the same goal, which is to increase traffic and conversions. However, the methodology used is different.

Google processes more than 3.5 billion searches every day, and 40,000 per second. Here, you need to know how to get your brand noticed, rank your website above competitors, whether using SEO or PPC methods, these are the two best search engine marketing methods to generate sales and increase traffic. Search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising should be one of the most important marketing strategies for you to develop. You can even run these two strategies simultaneously.

So, if you're curious about the difference between SEO and PPC, you should continue reading the summary that Hadehana has prepared below!

Get to know what SEO and PPC are

In short, both Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Pay Per Click (PPC) are online marketing campaigns. However, to make the best decision for your business, you must have a solid understanding of both strategies.

SEO Advertising

Prioritizing your site's SEO value can drastically increase the amount of organic traffic you drive to your business site. While improving these metrics may seem difficult at first, it's not as difficult once it's broken down into key factors. In fact, in most cases, it's a relatively easy process. Important aspects of an SEO strategy include thoroughly researching your target audience to ensure you are including relevant information, then reducing loading times as much as possible, then formatting your website properly for mobile devices, then integrating keywords in areas outside of your content such as titles. , meta descriptions, etc.

PPC advertising

For people who need quick results, PPC advertising is a viable option. This type of advertising allows you to drive large amounts of traffic to your business website in a much shorter timeframe. There is a fee associated with this method that you will incur every time someone clicks on one of your ads. But, every click means someone is interested in the product or service you offer. This means that a PPC strategy can easily have a significant Return on Investment (ROI) under the right circumstances.

SEO vs PPC Advertising

When you question which is better between SEO and PPC, the answer to this question will really depend on the duration of your marketing strategy. When viewed in general terms, the fact is that SEO is the best choice for long-term strategies and goals, while PPC advertising is ideal for targets that you must fulfill in the near future.

Search Engine Optimization

SEO is the process of increasing the visibility of digital platforms such as websites or social media. The goal is to bring the platform that you manage to the top ranking of search results on search engines. To get targeted results, you need to apply the right strategy. All SEO factors must be optimized together, starting from technical, on-page and off-page SEO, link building, to content marketing.

Advantages of SEO

Apart from bringing high traffic, SEO has advantages such as:

• Organic results.Users who visit websites or media are not motivated by advertisements or other coercion. They visit because the content on your website matches what they need. Google will also consider your platform according to the algorithm applied;

• Making the platform the main reference. Websites or social media that appear in the SERP, make the platform a priority reference for Google or other search engines. That way, traffic is also guaranteed to be higher than other platforms.

• No need to pay. Another advantage in SEO vs PPC for SEO is that you don't need to pay for optimization. The reason is that this tool relies more on the relevance of content with keywords, meta descriptions, to the content provided.

Disadvantages of SEO

While the disadvantages of SEO include:

• The results are not instant. You have to be consistent and diligent in doing optimization so that your website or social media is indexed properly by search engines. The time needed varies from a few days to weeks.

• Must follow the development of the algorithm. When choosing SEO, you also have to diligently follow the development of algorithms and work systems. That way, the results will not conflict and your platform will remain relevant in the eyes of search engines.

• Depends on the terms of the search engine. Until now, Google is a popular search engine and a reference for SEO practices. That is, if Google is damaged, then the website will also be affected because it depends on the terms of the search engine.

Pay-per Click (PPC)

Now, let's discuss PPC to complete the SEO vs PPC comparison. This one tool includes a form of Search Engine Marketing (SEM) in which advertisers pay ad publishers every time a user clicks on their ad. PPC also allows websites to receive high traffic in a short time (source: TheeDigital).

Advantages of PPC

The advantages that PPC offers include:

• Quickly get targeted consumers. Most PPC ads managed by professional publishers are pre-tailored to reach targeted consumers. As an advertiser, you can also set specific ages, hobbies, and demographics.

• Displays ads in real-time. One of the reasons companies use PPC as a sales tool is because it can be analyzed and displayed in real-time. So, you can replace or delete ads that are not performing satisfactorily.

• Generate a greater return on investment (ROI). Return of investment (ROI) and profits from PPC should not be underestimated. Even if you pay up front, PPC advertising that is handled properly will result in lucrative sales conversions.

Disadvantages of PPC

While the shortcomings that you have to anticipate in SEO vs PPC are:

• Keyword bidding can be expensive. Like SEO, PPC relies on keywords for optimization. However, not a few keywords that are installed cost a lot of money, because there are special tools that are used or are classified as premium types;

• Must be monitored periodically. PPC advertising is not the type of tool you can walk away from. Continuous monitoring is required to check its effectiveness and performance. So you know when to continue and when to stop;

• There is a risk of click fraud. The risk of click fraud by competitors can occur. They sometimes take this step so that the budget you have prepared suddenly swells without being accompanied by sales conversions.

After knowing the advantages and disadvantages of SEO and PPC, now is the time to start comparing the two strategies.

However, to find out better between SEO vs PPC is not easy because it depends on the needs of the company.

Even so, according to HubSpot there is the easiest way to find out which situation is suitable using SEO or PPC. Here's an explanation:

Use SEO if:

• Low budget for marketing.
• Want to build a brand to be better known.
• Maximize long-term ROI.
• Want to create content that can reach audiences at different stages of the sale.

Use PPC if:

• Want to get faster results.
• Just released a product.
• Promoting time-sensitive offers, e.g. year-end discounts, etc.
• Want to direct your audience to a specific landing page.

But if you are a small entrepreneur with a limited budget, PPC is less effective. If your goal is simply to spread the word and your page isn't making any sales, then you're better off not using PPC. You are paying for a customer to view your website and if nothing is gained from there after the page has been viewed, then those costs are wasted.

After reading the explanation above, of course you already understand what the right situation is to use SEO or PPC, right?

Conclusion

For some businesses, SEO alone works well when implemented the right way. For others, PPC is the only way to drive an audience to a website due to the competitive nature of the industry. In most cases, digital marketing experts recommend a combined strategy of SEO and PPC for the best results. 

If you have enough time, you can implement SEO. If you have limited time, you can implement a PPC campaign along with SEO for immediate results.