Which is Better – Search Engine Optimisation or Pay Per Click?

Once you’ve built your shiny new website, all it requires is traffic. There are several ways of driving traffic to your site; you can link to social media channels like Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. The of the most popular options are Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Pay Per Click (PPC). Is SEO or PPC better? Let’s discuss.

You can drive traffic via video streaming channels like YouTube and TikTok, but if you’re in business, then Google is where people go when they are looking at being ready to buy. Both SEO are PPC are methods of getting your website to appear on Google.

What does PPC stand for?

PPC stands for “Pay Per Click Advertising”. Sponsored ads appear at the top and bottom of each SERP (Search Engine Results Page). These are not part of the natural search results but are listings that result from a bidding auction for on-page placement, enabling businesses to buy placements on the first page of Google.

The beauty of PPC Advertising is that it doesn’t cost you a single penny each time someone sees your advertisement. Google only charges when someone clicks on one of your adverts. Hence the name – “Pay Per Click Advertising”.

The benefits of PPC advertising are as follows:

• Bidding saves time to reach page one of Google
• Rank on page one of the campaign launch
• To ensure you only get the most relevant clicks, you can add negative keywords
• You only pay when anyone clicks through to land on your website
• PPC is great for quick wins
• PPC is suited ideally for lead generation with super-relevant keyword

The disadvantages of PPC advertising are however, as follows:

• PPC requires always having a click budget in place with Google. The click budget is constantly decreasing as people click and, once the budget runs out, Google no longer displays your adverts
• Running out of budget means you are absent from Google
• Specific keywords can be highly competitive, and the higher the competition, the higher the click costs. Some click costs can cost tens, even hundreds of pounds per click – so large budgets can be required to get sufficient traffic.

What does SEO stand for?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation.

Search Engine Optimisation is the process of improving your website and domain to reach the largest number of potential customers as they search the internet by ranking in the natural search results on the SERP.

The benefits of SEO are as follows:

• SEO requires no ‘click’ budget. So once you rank in the natural search results, all the clicks are free.
• You can reach a wider audience with SEO as data shows that 80% of users searching Google click on the search results rather than the sponsored adverts.
• If you can fill the whole of your funnel from SEO clicks then, because they are free, getting traffic in the research and consideration stage is not a problem
• With SEO, you don’t go offline when your budget depletes.
• With SEO rankings, you have unlimited free clicks.

The disadvantages of SEO however, are as follows:

• Google’s algorithm has over 200 parts, so SEO can be difficult to forecast
• It takes for Google to index and rank natural search results – SEO is not a short-term strategy.
• If you stop optimising the website and competitors continue, they will outrank you as they stay relevant with regularly updated content.
• SEO requires continuous work and constant vigilance

So, Is SEO or PPC Better for My Business?

The simple answer to: “Is SEO or PPC Better?” is also the most obvious: “It depends”.

Suppose you are looking for a quick fix and a campaign running that you can turn on and off, up and down and you have a healthy budget and a little bit of time to test and refine a campaign for the optimal ROAS (Return On Advertising Spend). In that case, you will want to favour PPC over SEO.

On the other hand, if you want a campaign that you are happy to take your time with because you know that “slow and steady wins the race”, then a well-thought-out, planned and executed SEO strategy should pay dividends.

In some instances, you might benefit from having a mix of SEO and PPC working to get the benefits of quick wins, which then funds the SEO activity for the long game.

If you wish to discuss this further, please get in touch, and we’ll be happy to take a closer look at your setup and determine whether SEO or PPC is better for your business.