Search engine marketing is the art and science that leads consumers in search of products or services to your website. Search engine optimization (SEO) techniques seek to create a website that is not just user-friendly but results in high conversion rates and low cart abandonment figures. Pay-per-click marketing (PPC) is considered a bit of a work-around. You pay to play and have your name brought in front of the consumer searching for aforementioned goods or services.
SEO Nets a Better Return on Investment
Countless studies have proven that paid search results get you noticed, but organic results get you more click-throughs. On the other hand, PPC ads tend to have better conversion results, which is frequently the case because savvy marketing professionals design landing pages just for these ads. Even so, you get more folks into your virtual door with SEO, which you can capitalize on with an excellent website design.
Both Provide Visibility
The most obvious benefit of combining SEO and PPC efforts is added exposure on the search engine results pages (SERPs). Businesses are often tempted to reduce PPC efforts once a search term ranks number one. However, it’s important to remember that the top two or three results on most SERPs are PPC ads. Dominating the organic and paid search will greatly increase traffic, and give the impression that you’re an established presence in a particular market.
Share Keyword Data
Simultaneously running organic and PPC campaigns gives you double the data to analyze. Determine which organic and PPC keywords have the highest conversion rate, and use that information to optimize your overall strategy.
Test Strategic Organic Keywords with PPC
PPC ads are a great way to refine your organic keyword strategy. As your long term organic keyword strategy evolves, test the conversion rate of the words you want to rank for with PPC ads. You’ll get immediate feedback on the effectiveness of the organic keywords you’re after, and can fine tune your strategy accordingly.
Social Media Visibility
The social media landscape is changing dramatically, and part of that change has been the emergence of highly targeted advertising opportunities. Sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube can serve up ads only to 22 year olds living in Kansas City who are interested in mountain bikes and horticulture. It may be a small group, but it’s precise. The data that you collect from these campaigns may uncover granular details about your target audience, and help refine your overall SEO strategy. Enter the Dragon (well, Google)
Yet as Business Insider has pointed out, Google is making yet another change to its ad display formula. The right-hand ads, which used to be the bread and butter for so many local businesses, are being removed. Instead, there are now ads appearing above organic search results and below them.
What Does This Mean for SEO and PPC?
To say that PPC marketers are elated is a bit of an understatement. Sure, competition for these spots is now heating up and costs for the ads are likely to increase. That said, it does buy you an almost guaranteed top listing. For the local business owner, this change can be worrisome. Unless you can dig deeper in your pockets and add funds to your advertising budget, these changes may make PPC ads too costly to continue. As a result, it makes sense to focus more on SEO and ensure a top listing result in this manner.
Contact us today to learn how enhanced search engine optimization can make a big difference in your local rankings.
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