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.
