When it comes to search, deciding whether to dedicate resources to organic search efforts (SEO) or paid search efforts (PPC) is not easy. The right answer depends on a variety of factors including audience behavior, available budget, and your organization’s marketing goals.
Often, the answer to the paid vs. search question isn’t either/or. It’s a matter of striking the right balance.
To help, we’ve put together some key things to consider when implementing the right SEO/PPC balance for your organization. But first, let’s review the major difference between paid and organic search.
Traffic coming from SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is free, while traffic generated from PPC (Pay Per Click) ads is not free. PPC ads are displayed above organic search results or on the sidebar of search engine pages for search queries related to their topic. Landing page keywords, ad keywords, CPC (cost per click) bids, and targeting all influence how those ads are “served” or displayed on the page.
Organic results appear under paid ads. Getting your website or listing to appear in the coveted first and second positions of a SERP (search engine results page) depends on how optimized your website is for search engines.
So, what’s the best strategy to use for your organization and when? Here are the main factors to consider.