A lot of business owners who want to get traffic from Google often struggle to decide whether to pursue Search Engine Optimization (SEO) or Pay Per Click advertising (PPC.) There are advantages and disadvantages to both, but I firmly believe that SEO is the better option in the long run for most businesses (but with some exceptions.) In this article I am going to break down why SEO is the better option 99% of the time.
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PPC Versus SEO Explained
There are two ways you can get your business or website to show up in the Google search results. The first method involves paying Google to show your website as an advertisement in their search engine. This is referred to as Pay Per Click (PPC) marketing. Essentially you pay every time someone clicks on your link.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) on the other hand, is when Google organically ranks your website in the search results. This is 99% of what you are used to seeing in the search results. SEO involves optimizing your website to meet the criteria that Google’s algorithm is looking for when determining which websites are authoritative in their respective industries or niches.
PPC Advantages
The great thing about PPC is that you can start driving traffic to your website in minutes. You also have more control with PPC compared to SEO, where it is up to Google at the end of the day where you rank. Search Engine Optimization takes time to get going, and this is where PPC rocks.
You can also show up for any term (provided you are willing to pay, of course) and get the quantity of traffic you desire.
PPC Disadvantages
The unfortunate reality is that more and more users are using ad blocking software or extensions for their web browser. Approximately 42.7% of internet users worldwide use ad blocking tools. That means that almost half of total users won’t even see your website, let alone land on it.
Additionally, as time goes on Pay Per Click advertising becomes more expensive. The way PPC works is you bid against other companies and brands who want to show up for the search terms you are paying for. This means that competition inflates price, and the cost of clicks only goes up over time.
If you are paying $2 a click, that’s still not a sale. User search intent can be complex, and you can spend hundreds of dollars to get the wrong types of users to your website. For example, sales people can look up businesses like yours to cold call you – and you end up paying when they go to your website. This was never going to be someone who would be a paying customer.
This is the biggest fault of pay per click advertising, and can end up draining your wallet fast.
SEO Advantages
The great thing about Search Engine Optimization is that it continues to work for you if done properly. I’ve optimized business websites in the past that are still ranking on Google 5 years later. The owner doesn’t pay a dime for those clicks, calls, and new customers!
(Granted, SEO is a continuous process and this sometimes only happens in niches with few competitors or non-tech savvy business owners who are not investing in proper SEO.)
The ongoing SEO process becomes less expensive towards the tail end. Once the majority of the initial optimization is done on your website, the only cost becomes producing fresh content and keeping your website updated for Google search. This is very affordable and you will get way more clicks, calls, and customers for that amount of money than you will get if you pursued Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising.
SEO Disadvantages
The biggest downside to Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is that it is very technical. Most people don’t have the expertise or know how to properly optimize their website. You have to have a deep understanding of how Google and the internet works, website design, marketing, and content creation. It is a skill that requires a ton of time to master and be able to do effectively. Because of this, 99% of business owners out there cannot perform SEO that works.
Additionally, the Search Engine Optimization process requires a lot of time investment. Most business owners are busy enough as is and have to run their businesses. They don’t have time to be optimizing their website and creating content.
In The Long Run SEO Wins
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the best method for driving traffic to your website from Google 99% of the time. More and more users look to organic results and not ads when determining which websites to visit.
Each piece of content you publish on your website (pages, posts, images, videos, etc.) has its own chance of ranking in search. Think of every single thing you publish as a seed planted. Some pieces of content sprout into trees that drive thousands of visitors a month to your website – without costing you a dime.
Let’s say you pay a SEO expert a few hundred dollars to create a piece of content for you. If said piece of content brings in over 1,000 visitors a month, that equates to 12,000 visitors a year. That would have been 12,000 clicks with PPC that would have cost you at least $12,000. (Assuming that each click costs $1, which is less than the average cost per click with Google Ads.)
Important: There Are Exceptions To The Rule
Keep in mind there are some exceptions to every rule. If you are trying to compete with huge companies that have million dollar budgets, the odds are you aren’t going to outrank them. For example, if you are trying to be the next Amazon – good luck outranking the giant. There are some niches and industries that are just going to be harder to rank in than others. Ironically, Search Engine Optimization is the most difficult niche to get ranked in as everyone else who has a website is proficient at it.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is better than Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising 99% of the time in the long run. SEO can bring you more visitors at a lower cost continuously over time. PPC costs are only going to increase over time, and can be inflated by high amounts of competition.
Want To Get Started With Search Engine Optimization?
Here at E-Man Ink, we offer affordable Search Engine Optimization (SEO) services that are goal oriented. We will rank your website without charging you an arm and a leg. Stop in today or give us a call at (716) 297-5073.
Gabriel Miller
Gabriel is our website designer and search engine optimizer here at E-Man Ink. He takes great pride in his work and puts our clients first. He is passionate about technology and the internet of things (IOT).
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