You’ve probably heard about organic SEO and paid search marketing, especially in the last 2 years since the pandemic started and more businesses took to digital marketing to survive. But how do you decide which is best for your business? The answer to this question depends on what you’re hoping to achieve for your business.
Paid search campaigns are typically more cost-effective than organic campaigns because they can reach a wider audience in less time. Paid ads also get priority over organic results in search engines like Google, meaning that people will see them before anything else.
Organic SEO requires patience and commitment to improving rankings organically through links, shares, social media engagement, and other factors. Paid advertising offers instant results with minimal effort while organic SEO takes time to develop quality traffic sources.
You should consider what type of return you want from your online marketing efforts when deciding between these two strategies. If you need an immediate return on investment, paid search is the better option. However, if you want to build a long-term asset that will continue to bring in business over time, organic SEO is the way to go.
1. What Are SEO and paid search marketing
Sometimes with people unfamiliar with these two strategies, there may be a lot of confusion about the differences between organic SEO and paid search marketing. In short, organic SEO is the practice of optimizing your website to rank higher in search engine results, while paid search marketing is paying for ads that will show up at the top of search results. The most common platform for Paid Search is Google Ads.
Paid search marketing can be a great way to get your website seen by more people, and it can also be very effective in driving traffic to your site. However, it’s important to make sure that you’re targeting the right keywords, and that you’re also bidding on the correct terms. If you’re not sure where to start, or if you need help with optimizing your paid search campaigns, schedule a free strategy call with one of our digital marketing strategists.
2. How do SEO and paid search marketing work?
Both strategies aim to drive traffic to your website and ultimately help your visitors. Audience intent is what will separate your approach for each strategy though with SEO being more informational while Paid Search will be more conversion-focused. Let’s break each one down.
How does SEO work?
Well, every SEO will answer it with two words: it depends. There’s no one answer to that question because the field of SEO is always changing. What worked yesterday may not work today, and what works today may not work tomorrow. That said, there are some core principles that remain constant. For example, SEO typically involves improving the visibility of a website in search engine results pages (SERPs). This can be done by optimizing the website’s content, structure, and on-page elements like titles and meta tags. Additionally, off-page SEO tactics like link building and social media engagement can also help to improve a site’s SERP ranking. So, while the specifics may change over time, the overall goal of SEO remains the same: to help websites rank higher in search results.
How does paid search work?
Paid search marketing is a bit more straightforward: you simply bid on keywords related to your business and/or service and pay for each click on your ad. Paid search marketing can be an effective way to reach potential customers, as it allows businesses to target their ads to people who are already interested in what they have to offer. The cost of paid search marketing depends on how much your business is willing to pay for each keyword, and how often your ad is clicked on by users. Paid search marketing can be a very effective tool for businesses that are looking to reach more potential customers online. If you’re not sure where to start, or if you need help with optimizing your paid search campaigns, schedule a free strategy call with one of our digital marketing strategists.
3. What are the benefits of organic SEO and paid search marketing
Benefits of SEO
Organic SEO can provide many benefits for businesses that are looking to improve their online visibility and reach a wider audience. One of the main benefits is that SEO is cost-effective, as it does not require businesses to pay for ads or other forms of promotion. Additionally, SEO can be more effective than paid advertising, as it helps businesses to build credibility and trust with potential customers. Moreover, organic search optimization can help businesses to drive traffic to their website through high rankings in search engine results pages.
Finally, organic search can improve the user experience on a website, which can lead to higher levels of customer satisfaction. Overall, SEO can be a very effective tool for businesses that are looking to improve their online presence and reach a wider audience. Partnering with an SEO agency is a great way to kickstart your organic search campaign and make sure you have the right structure in place to improve your keyword ranks and get more traffic to your website.
Benefits of Paid Search Marketing
Paid search marketing is one of the most effective ways to reach your target audience. Through paid search ads, you can specifically target individuals who are searching for products or services that you offer. As a result, you can generate leads and drive conversions at a much higher rate than with other marketing channels. In addition, paid search marketing is highly flexible, allowing you to tailor your campaigns to achieve your specific goals.
Paid search marketing is also an extremely cost-effective way to market your business as you can direct your budget to specific keywords, ads, and even locations. With a well-managed campaign, you can achieve a high return on investment while still maintaining a low cost per acquisition. For these reasons, paid search marketing should be an integral part of your overall marketing strategy.
Most of our clients achieve over 10x returns from PPC while the best performing accounts have achieved 20x returns. At a minimum, we expect 3x returns for industries that have low-profit margins or lack consistent conversion tracking opportunities. Additionally, paid search marketing is highly flexible, allowing you to tailor your campaigns to achieve your specific goals.
4. What are the costs of organic SEO and paid search marketing
What is the cost of SEO?
The cost of SEO can vary depending on the size and scope of the project. For a small business, the cost of SEO might be a few hundred dollars per month. For a large enterprise, the cost might be tens of thousands of dollars per month. The cost also depends on the level of competition. If you are in a highly competitive market, you might need to spend more on SEO than if you are in a less competitive market as you may need to employ more advanced strategies.
The cost also depends on the country you are targeting. If you want to target customers in the United States, you will need to spend more on SEO than if you want to target customers in a less developed country. Finally, the cost also depends on the keywords you are targeting. If you want to target highly competitive keywords, you will need to spend more on SEO.
While this may seem like a lot to invest in, it is important to remember that organic traffic can provide a valuable return on investment. In addition, by focusing on long-tail keywords and other cost-effective strategies, businesses can minimize their expenditure on PPC without sacrificing results.
What is the cost of Paid Search Marketing?
The cost of paid search marketing can vary depending on the size and scope of the campaign, as well as the competitiveness of the market. Generally, the cost of paid search marketing ranges from a few hundred dollars for small businesses, to tens of thousands of dollars per month for medium businesses. Enterprise Paid Search clients can easily spend upwards of 6-7 figures per month on advertising though. It is important to remember that the cost of paid search marketing can vary greatly depending on the market and the keywords you are targeting.
In order to get the most out of paid search marketing, it is important to partner with a skilled and experienced PPC agency. At SimplySearch, we have years of experience crafting effective paid search campaigns for businesses of all sizes. We know what works and what doesn’t, and we can help you achieve your desired results.
5. How do you decide which is right for your business
The answer to the question of whether your business should invest in PPC or SEO depends on a number of factors. First, you need to consider your budget. If you have a limited amount of money to spend on marketing, then PPC might be the better option since it can be more cost-effective than SEO and generate immediate revenue. Second, you need to think about your goals. Are you looking to generate leads or sales? If so, then PPC might be more effective since it can produce immediate results. However, if you’re looking to build brand awareness or increase your website’s visibility in search engine results pages, then SEO might be a better option. Finally, you need to consider your audience. If your target market is actively shopping for services, then Paid Search is the ideal strategy while if they are more likely to use search engines to find information, then SEO would be the better choice.
A simple way to decide would be to think about your audience’s intent. SEO works great for informational searches where your goal is to educate your audience. Paid Search works really well when your goal is to convert as many visitors as possible who are actively searching for your services or products.
To sum up, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. It is important to weigh the pros and cons of each approach and decide which is right for your business. You can schedule a free consultation with our team and we can help you determine what’s best for you.
6. Final thoughts
Choosing between SEO and paid search can be a tough decision. Both have their pros and cons, and ultimately it may come down to what your specific needs are. If you need immediate results and have the budget to support a paid search campaign, then that may be the best option for you. However, if you’re looking for a more sustainable long-term solution, then SEO may be a better choice. It can take some time to see results from an SEO campaign, but when done correctly, it can provide a steady stream of qualified traffic to your site.
We generally tell our clients the best solution is to invest in both simultaneously. Yes, your initial cost of investment is higher, but the return on your investment will be more balanced at first and then compound over time as your SEO campaign gains traction. We tend to take the valuable conversion data we gather from Paid Search campaigns and use that to optimize organic search for our client websites so that once they’re ranking well for those terms, we can shift the PPC budget to other keywords that they don’t rank well for. This strategy works amazingly well to maximize conversions from both SEO and PPC but also keeps the ROAS train on the right track and steadily improving with time. This combined strategy is what we refer to as Integrated Search Engine Marketing and is quickly becoming very popular with enterprise clients.
Whichever route you decide to go, our digital marketing agency can help you achieve your goals. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you grow your business online.