Both SEO and paid advertising will help your business grow by increasing your visibility on Google, and other platforms. While they are both great investments, they actually work in very different ways and have different long-term impacts. Ideally, you should invest in both services for optimal growth of your business, but if you have a limited budget and are compelled to focus on one for the time being, we’ve weighed the pros and cons of each avenue so that you can make a more informed decision.
Investing in SEO
Search Engine Optimization, also known as SEO, is a practice of on-site and off-site changes you can make to your website to help it show up better in search engine results, especially when it comes to appearing for specific keywords and search queries. SEO has for a long time been a staple of digital marketing due to the sheer prevalence of people using Google to find what they’re looking for online. While SEO is a great investment, it can take time to see the fruits of your labor in action on the actual search results. While SEO is always changing due to competing companies and the algorithms evolving, in many cases once you are on the front page for your desired search queries, you can focus your marketing efforts elsewhere.
Investing in PPC
On the other hand, if you need immediate results and don’t have time to wait for your organic search results to improve, pay per click on a popular ad network like Google or Facebook is a great way to get your business in front of a lot of people quickly, and in many cases maximize your conversion cycle. You can also pick and choose the exact keywords you do and don’t want to show up for, so the flexibility is unmatched. That being said, you’re most likely going to spend much more on paid advertising than you would on standard SEO services, depending on how competitive your space is.
Best Website Practices
One of the great things about SEO is that the changes you make to your website are also factors that will help you convert in general. Having a clean and usable interface, having plenty of written content with clear information hierarchy, and plenty of internal and external linking. These are all things that help customers use your website effectively and can build trust in your company, in many ways you are getting two services for the price of one.
Which One is Best for Me?
The decision between SEO and PPC will depend on your budget, as well as your time frame. Are you looking for immediate short term results, or can you be patient and invest in the long term? Either way, Boston Web Marketing can assist you with your next SEO or PPC campaign. Give us a call at 857.526.0096 or contact us here for more information.