SEO vs PPC: Which strategy

best suits your business?

The modern business landscape is constantly shifting.

Conventional customer acquisition strategies that once relied heavily on

traditional advertising and face-to-face networking have now gone digital.
While this shift has amplified the competition among both B2C and B2B
enterprises, it has also unlocked untapped potential for expansion and
engaging consumers in new authentic ways.

To thrive in this new era—to consistently nurture new leads while

fortifying relationships with existing customers—brands must develop a
robust digital marketing strategy. In that regard, two digital marketing
methodologies will inevitably dominate the conversation—search engine
optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising.

But, in the great SEO vs PPC debate, which strategies should brands focus
on to maximize their online presence and business growth? Which should
you prioritize when working with a digital marketing agency?

Let’s compare and contrast.

SEO vs PPC
Both pay-per-click (PPC) and SEO marketing play pivotal roles in driving
traffic, increasing discoverability, establishing a brand’s authority, and,
ultimately, catalyzing customer base growth. However, both employ a
distinctive approach to accomplish these objectives.

The primary distinguishing factor between the two digital marketing

strategies involves positioning on Google’s search engine result pages
(SERPs):
 • Organic positioning – SEO is designed to drive a brand’s website—
and its various sub-pages—to the top of the organic SERPs.
Typically, these are the 10 results that appear in the center of the
results page but aren’t ads.
• Paid ad positioning – Conversely, PPC marketing is designed to
artificially boost a brand’s website to the pinnacle of the page, even
above organic SERPs.
Whether it’s SEO marketing or PPC advertising, the underlying goal is to
vault the business website to the top of search results. The higher the
ranking, the higher the probability of a page being clicked on. As Search
Engine Journal notes, the click-through-rate (CTR) for each ranking
experiences a steep downfall as we move down the rank ladder:

• Rank 1 – 28.5% CTR

• Rank 2 – 15.7% CTR
• Rank 3 – 11% CTR
• Rank 4 – 8% CTR
• Rank 5 – 7.2% CTR
• Rank 6 – 5.1% CTR
• Rank 7 – 4% CTR
• Rank 8 – 3.2% CTR
• Rank 9 – 2.8% CTR
• Rank 10 – 2.5% CTR
In general, the decision between SEO and PPC doesn’t have to be a binary
choice. It’s not an “either, or” decision; rather, a comprehensive strategy
will see most brands harnessing the strengths of both methodologies. This
allows them to approach customer acquisition and retention from two
different angles and timelines.

SEO typically requires a more long-term, patient approach. It will often

take months before tangible results materialize.

PPC and paid search, on the other hand, provides an expedited pathway to
rankings success, with the potential for ads to reach the top of SERPS
virtually overnight. However, it’s important to note that this artificial PPC
ad boost comes with a price tag attached.
The long-term organic channel: SEO
Whenever a person uses Google or Bing, they will type a keyword or
keyword phrase into the search bar. Most users inherently trust Google to
present the most relevant and high-quality answers to their query at the top
of the search results page.

Therefore, for any brand, the goal is to rank as high as possible for
searches that are directly related to the products or services offered. This
also extends to queries that are indirectly associated with the business’
offerings via relevant information or topics.

SEO is the vehicle that drives a brand’s webpages up SERPs. According to

Search Engine Land:

“In simple terms, SEO means the process of improving your website to
increase its visibility in Google…The better visibility your pages have in
search results, the more likely you are to be found and clicked on.
Ultimately, the goal of search engine optimization is to help attract website
visitors who will become customers, clients or an audience that keeps
coming back.”

As mentioned, SEO takes months of continual effort before pages begin to

move up the rankings. It’s a long-term strategy that’s well worth the time
and effort—but it will take time and effort.

What are SEO strategies?

SEO strategies are conducted in accordance with the Google algorithm’s
most recent updates. It will encompass an array of strategies meant to
improve the website’s visibility on SERPS, including:

• Keyword research – Identifying what the most relevant search

terms and queries are, then incorporating them throughout all
content efforts.
• Content marketing – Producing high-quality, engaging content—
designed around relevant keywords—that demonstrates the brand’s
 “experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness”
(Google’s Double-E-A-T guidelines). SEO and content marketing
can include blogs, infographics, white papers, eBooks, social media
posts, videos, and more.
• On-Page SEO – Optimizing individual webpages for selected
keywords and ensuring that the content has:
• Meta tags
• Title tags
• Header tags
• URL structure
• Image alt text
• Link building
• Technical SEO – Optimizing the website’s backend structure and
setup for search engine crawlers, including:
• Site speed
• Mobile optimization
• XML sitemaps
• Schema markup
• Secure sockets layer (SSL) setup
• Local SEO – Optimizing the website for local search via the brand’s
Google Maps and Google My Business pages.
• Core Web Vitals – Creating a smooth user experience by focusing
on page metrics like:
• Largest contentful paint (LCP)
• First input delay (FID)
• Interaction to next paint (INP)
• Cumulative layout shift (CLS)

The pay-to-play channel: PPC

Pay-per-click advertising is a digital marketing strategy whereby brands
purchase ads on search engines that appear in the sponsored links section
at the top of the organic search page. Whenever a user types in a search
query that’s related to the advertiser’s chosen keywords, the ad might
appear in the highly visible sponsored section. And, as the name suggests,
advertisers pay a fee each time the ad is clicked on.

Put simply, PPC marketing is a way of buying site visits now, rather than
attempting to earn them organically via SEO strategies that might take
time to materialize.

So, although PPC advertising is most commonly associated with Google

Ads, it’s also used on platforms like Bing Ads as well as the major social
media networks like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter.

How does PPC work?

The PPC auction-based system functions on a supply and demand model
where advertisers bid on specific keywords relevant to their business
interests.

How much each click will cost will depend on various factors, including:

• Keyword competition – The more businesses that want to rank for

a specific keyword, the higher the costs will be.
• Length of keywords – Along these lines, short or singular keywords
will be in higher demand, whereas high-intent long-tail keywords
will cost less because they’re more niche.
• Quality score – Search platforms factor in the ad’s quality based on
criteria like:
• Relevance to the keyword
• Quality of the landing page
• Ad’s click-through rate (CTR) history
• The bid – The brand sets the maximum amount they’re willing to
pay for a click on the ad. Though the actual amount paid out will be
at the threshold set by the second-highest bidder.
• Location – Depending on the geographical location a brand is
targeting, the cost may also vary.
What are PPC strategies?
If a business wants to ensure that its PPC campaigns provide ROI, it will
need to consider the following PPC strategies:

• Keyword research and selection – Identifying the high-volume

keywords—both short- and long-tail—that potential customers are
using.
• Ad creation and optimization – Creating compelling ad copy,
which includes engaging headlines and descriptions while including
keywords throughout the content.
• A/B testing – Testing different PPC ads to see which ones Google
prefers and which ones consumers prefer.
• Bid management – Installing bid strategies and automations that
help optimize bidding according to campaign budget and goals.
• Targeting and retargeting – Targeting consumers according to
detailed customer personas, and then retargeting consumers who
have previously interacted with or purchased an item from the brand.
• Regular monitoring and optimization – Continuously analyzing
campaign performance and then making adjustments as necessary to
improve results.

SEO vs PPC
So, how do the two strategies stack up?

Let’s compare and contrast:

SEO PPC

Traffic Source Organic traffic from Paid traffic via paid

search engine results search and PPC ad
clicks
Cost Indirect investments in Direct costs each time
terms of time and a person clicks
resources
 Traffic Potential Can lead to steady, Can lead to immediate
long-term organic traffic boosts; however
traffic if it ranks highly traffic can drop the
for relevant keywords moment the campaign
and is continuously concludes
optimized
Visibility Ranking high Can provide instant
organically can visibility at the top of
increase brand SERPs in the Featured
visibility, but this takes Listing
time and effort
Credibility and Trust High organic search PPC ads can build trust
results enhance brand’s thanks to Google’s
credibility and stamp of approval, but
authority among users they’re still viewed as
ads
Targeting Allows for audience Allows for precise
targeting via keyword targeting, including
optimization and high- long-tail keywords,
quality content location, language,
device, time of day,
and so on
Duration A long-term strategy A short-term strategy
that takes several that provides
months before results immediate results
appear
Control Less control over how Greater control over
and when a site appears various aspects of a
in organic search PPC campaign,
including when and
where an ad will
appear, and who will
see it
 Click-through rate CTR varies according Higher CTR due to
to search engine prominent ad
rankings and snippet placement and
visibility targeting options

SEO and PPC—synergizing for success

For brands that want to enhance their visibility on Google, SEO and PPC
shouldn’t be viewed as competitors; but rather, complementary tools—
each playing a unique part in a comprehensive digital marketing strategy.

Brands must balance both steady, organic, long-term growth of SEO with
the instant visibility afforded by a PPC campaign. Together, this synergy is
key to a brand’s digital success.

Here at Power Digital, we’ll help you identify the opportunities available
in both channels and strategize with you to leverage the most out of each
one. We’ll then take a data-first approach to optimization, igniting your
revenue and helping you succeed long-term.