SEO vs PPC

There are two major ways to generate traffic online.  Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Pay Per Click (PPC).  These two strategies are entirely different from one another. Both strategies has their strengths and weaknesses.  This article gives some information about both strategies to help you decide which is better for you.

Deciding which strategy is best for you could be done easily if you consider the basics.  Take the big picture into account.  You need to decide if your purpose is to get traffic to your site fast or if your intent is to generate traffic long term without paying for it.  The main goal of most people is to get their website or blog listed in the one of the top positions in a search engines result page (SERP).  This can be done with both SEO and PPC. 

Since both SEO and PPC will get you listings in a SERP you have to look at the individual pros and cons of each method to make an intelligent decision regarding which method is best for you.  The following two paragraphs will list some of the pros and cons of each in order to help you make a good decision.

Pay Per Click (PPC)

One of the things that makes PPC a popular way to get traffic is its low cost, stability and predictability.  PPC lets you rank in the search engine results without having to do the tedious work that is required in SEO.  With PPC you don’t have to worry about finding link partners, posting links or creating keyword rich content.  As long has you have the money to pay for it your site can rank well.

PPC offers expediency and convenience.  It enables your listing to get posted when you want it to as opposed to when the search engine finally does it. 

One disadvantage of PPC is the price to get listings rises continually because of the increasing competition.  The prices are becoming increasingly uncomfortable for the average person to invest.  PPC is not unlike other auctions because the more people who bid on a listing space the higher the prices will go.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO is free, unlike PPC.  There is no worry of having to work out a budget to pay each time someone clicks on your listing.  However, SEO is time consuming.  You have to learn how to optimize your website or blog for the search engines and there is a learning curve.  There are sources on line that teach you how to do SEO.  SEO for beginners by Moz is one that I usually recommend.  Once you have spent the time to learn how to do it you will be faced with the time that it takes to implement it.  Once you have begun to implement it you have to constantly educate yourself on the changing of the search engines algorithms.  This is also time consuming.

If you were to race PPC against SEO for speed of listings, PPC would win.  However, the advantage of SEO is once you have done it, and your site gains a preferable spot in the search engines results, it could stay there indefinitely.  PPC results in the SERPs only lasts as long as you are willing to pay for it.

Conclusion

SEO and PPC both have their benefits.  The time and/or money that you are willing to spend to get listed in the SERPs are major considerations in choosing which method is best for you.  If you have cash and you want fast results then PPC may be the best choice for you.  If you have time and want long-term results then SEO may be a better choice. 

You could always do both.  Use PPC to get quick results and optimize your site for long term results… It’s just a quick thought J.

If you learned anything new from this article then please leave a comment.