| Why choose organic SEO over PPC |
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| Written by Moe Tamani |
| Sunday, 29 June 2008 23:35 |
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Search engine optimization (SEO) refers to the tactics used by webmaster to increase search engine rankings and thus drive traffic to the website. It is defined over and against Pay-Per-Click advertising (PPC) in which webmasters pay to have their advertisements placed on search engine results pages, websites, and other advertising networks. While there is some debate about the place of PPC in an organization’s overall internet marketing strategy, almost all internet marketing professionals agree that SEO has a number of distinct advantages over PPC. First, search engines dedicate roughly 60% of their on-screen real estate to organic search results. This means that organic results are simply more visible than PPC results. Therefore, visitors are more likely to click on the organic results that the paid results. Search engines dedicate more space to organic results because they understand that most searchers see organic search engine results as unbiased and objective. Therefore, they are more likely to click through to organic results than paid advertisements. Second, SEO is far more cost effective than PPC. A business with a miniscule marketing budget can be just as successful at SEO as a multinational corporation with an astronomically high marketing budget. Once you’ve made your initial investments of time and money toward organic SEO, the really difficult part is over. PPC, however, requires that you keep outlaying money in order to keep your advertisements in the public eye. Third, SEO is a much more stable avenue for obtaining higher search engine rankings. When done correctly, organic SEO can keep your listings at the top of the search engine results page over a long period of time. PPC, however, requires that you constantly stay on top if your competitors’ bids to maintain prominent advertisements. Fourth, click fraud is a growing problem for companies that rely on PPC. Click fraud occurs when a competitor repeatedly clicks on a paid advertisement, with no intention of purchasing a product or service, for the sole purpose of making the owner of the advertisement pay for the click. If you use organic SEO, you need not worry about click fraud at all. Fifth, PPC does nothing to improve your website optimization. If your website is poorly optimized prior to beginning a PPC campaign and you choose to do nothing it about it, it will still be poorly optimized regardless of the number of visitors you receive. And once you stop paying for PPC, your visitors will stop, too. There is a time and place for using PPC, but it should never be used in place of organic SEO. PPC should only ever be secondary to SEO in your internet marketing strategy. An SEO professional or internet marketing consultant can help you determine how much of your overall marketing strategy should be dedicated to PPC.
In summary, organic SEO methods are always preferable to Pay-Per-Click advertising. SEO provides a greater return on investment in the long run and is not susceptible to click fraud. It offers more stability in the short term and in the long run, and it assures that you begin and end with a high-quality, relevant website that it helpful and informative to your visitors. Don’t hesitate to consult a professional to help you determine whether or not to include PPC in your internet marketing strategy. |
| Last Updated on Thursday, 01 October 2009 00:44 |