SEO and PPC have become essential aspects of successful digital marketing strategies. These acronyms are used regularly by marketers, brands and content writers, however it is surprisingly difficult to find a simple overview of their meanings. The great news is that we’re here to simplify everything you need to know about Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC).
This guide will teach you the basics of SEO and PPC, as well as helping you to decide which is best for your business. Let’s get started!
Why are SEO and PPC important?
As you will see in this article, SEO and PPC are both fantastic ways to generate engagement and increase website traffic. They are two different methods of growing reach, however their primary objective is the same… to improve click through rates (CTRs) and grow brand awareness.
What is SEO / search engine optimisation?
SEO stands for search engine optimisation. It’s the process of organically growing website traffic, by boosting your position in search engine results.
The goal of SEO is to appear higher than your competition in search engine results pages (SERPs). The higher your website ranks on search engines such as Google, the more likely you are to be seen.
So how important is SEO? Simply put, it’s the key to online lead generation. Whether you want to raise your brand awareness, grow an ecommerce site or generate sales, optimising your website to increase web traffic is vital. To highlight the importance of SEO, there are more than 4.4 million blog posts published every day. That equals 50 blog posts every second. On the first results page of any Google search, the first five organic results account for 67.6% of all clicks. The results placed between positions six and ten make up only 3.73% of clicks. There’s no hiding from the fact that in order to be discovered, you need to be competing for the top spots in your chosen search query.
In case you’re not convinced… consider the fact that most people reading this article will have found it through SEO.
How does SEO work?
Search engines such as Google look to rank relevant, engaging content highest in the results pages. The secret to effective SEO lies within creating a website that that offers useful content to readers, as well as Google search crawlers.
Let’s say you have just posted your chocolate cake recipe online. For this to be found by your target market, you want search engines to show your article as one of the highest results every time a person searches ‘chocolate cake’. SEO is the process of making that happen. It can seem daunting at first, but realistically, it’s achieved through a series of simple tweaks and adjustments.
We’ll start by looking at how you can capture readers’ attention and boost your SEO. Google’s algorithms are regularly updated, however there are some simple SEO rules to follow to grow your audience. Here are some of the best ways to improve the search visibility and rank of your website.
Top tips to improve SEO
- Carry out keyword research
Keyword research is the process of finding popular words or phrases that people will search for in search engines. Tools such as Ubersuggest enable you to identify relevant SEO keywords and trends, as well as highlighting traffic volume and SEO difficulty. This can form the basis of any content plan, helping you to produce relevant and in-demand articles. Remember, keywords should be included in sufficient numbers throughout any article.
- Create a relevant headline or article title
It’s essential to include keywords in the title that people will search for. Take search intent into account, making sure your title is relevant to the content, which will result in longer dwell time and improved SEO ranking. Think about the words or phrases that you would type into Google if you were looking for your content.
- Use headings
Think of headings as the structure of an article. H1 should always be used for the title or main subject. As an example, the H1 could be the headline of an article, or a product name on a product page. H2 subheadings should then be used to introduce separate sections, in a similar way to chapters in a book. The text above that reads ‘Top tips to improve SEO’ is an example of H2 text. You will notice that there are headings from H1 to H6, which can be used for smaller, more in-depth subheadings, however they are rarely required. For maximum SEO benefits, include keywords in headings wherever suitable.
- Include internal and external links
Every article should include internal and external hyperlinks for SEO. Internal links should take readers to relevant pages on your own site, for example, linking to a ‘services’ page when mentioning services. External links should take readers to reputable content on a third party sites.
- Add imagery with alt text
Keep content engaging by including imagery. Enter alt text for every image. This method of optimisation strengthens the user experience, makes your website more accessible and helps search engine spiders to improve your SEO ranking.
- Get backlinks
Backlinks are a valuable method of climbing SERPs. They work as a ‘vote of confidence’ from one website to another. Search engines value websites that have this form of recommendation, particularly if the website linking to yours has a strong domain authority. To get backlinks for your website, consider collaborating, guest blogging, or offering promotion in return.
Click here to read more about our SEO copywriting services.
Tools for SEO
Here are some of the tools and plug-ins that can offer SEO guidance and capabilities:
Benefits of SEO
There are numerous benefits to utilising SEO. These include:
- Organic SEO is a long-term solution, benefiting brands and websites from ongoing, natural traffic when set up correctly
- While SERP rankings can benefit from SEO updates, it does not require continuous maintenance and can maintain its search engine position when left for periods of time
- SEO is cost effective and does not require large, ongoing budget to get results
- By using these SEO tips, you can SEO optimise your own website
Cons of SEO
Here are some of the cons of SEO that you should consider:
- SEO can take a while before results are evident. Often, it can take months to start seeing SEO results
- If you choose to do your own SEO, it can be time-consuming
- If you choose to outsource your SEO copywriting, it requires budget, however WriteMeThis offer introductory rates if you quote ‘SEOPPCDiscount’ when you contact us
- SEO requires ongoing updates to perform as well as possible continuously, however, well SEO optimised articles will still deliver long-term traffic
What is PPC / pay-per-click advertising?
PPC stands for pay-per-click advertising. It’s the method of buying your way to high search engine rankings, which is highly effective, but also requires budget. It enables businesses to quickly grow website traffic, purchasing ‘clicks’ by bidding on keywords specific to their services or industry.
How does PPC work?
PPC advertising involves buying clicks, or visitors from search engines. There are different types of PPC ads, however one of the most common is the paid search ad. These are the ones that appear when you search for something on Google or Bing.
On Google AdWords, people bid for specific keywords that they wish to appear in the search results for. They are then put into the ad auction, which is Google’s way of choosing the most relevant advertisements to show in the SERPs. A similar process takes place on Bing Ads. This automated process selects those that it believes are most relevant, making the chosen advertisements appear high up in search engine results. When you buy PPC advertising, you are only charged when a user clicks on your advert.
Top tips to improve PPC
- Choose to bid for keywords that are related to what you sell or do, to improve visibility and help to improve ROI
- Other forms of PPC to consider include display advertising such as serving banner ads and remarketing
- Write compelling ad copy to capture users’ attention
- Adjust geolocation settings as required
- Carry out keyword research before bidding
- Monitor the success of different PPC keywords
- Understand your target demographic before committing to spend
- Utilise extensions to improve PPC click through rate (CTR)
Benefits of PPC
There are many benefits of pay-per-click (PPC). These include:
- PPC campaigns give fast results, enabling you to monitor clicks, traffic and conversions
- With PPC, you bid for the top results, so organic position does not matter
- You don’t need to become an expert in SEO or algorithms
- Specific budgets can be set for PPC campaigns
- It is relatively simple to understand return on investment (ROI)
Cons of PPC
Here are some of the cons of PPC that you should consider:
- PPC can be expensive and the larger the budget, the better the results
- There is enormous competition for keywords, so spend can quickly increase
- When you stop paying for PPC, the results stop
- It can take a long time to research PPC keywords
- It is time-consuming to monitor PPC campaigns and it is expensive to outsource
- Bots are sometimes used for ‘click fraud’ which can result in wasted investment
SEO and PPC: Which should I choose?
A common comparison is SEO vs. PPC. So which is best for your business? The answer to this depends on your industry, objectives and budget. As you can see from the pros and cons of SEO and PPC mentioned above, each method is unique. Both SEO and PPC are powerful traffic generating approaches. We will now look at the scenarios that suit SEO and PPC best.
When should I use SEO?
If your goal is long-term success and engaging content, SEO is your answer. This strategy requires initial investment, however it can continuously deliver traffic and provide ongoing results. While it can take time to show return on investment (ROI), it can grow brand awareness and even secure business’ reputation as market leaders, particularly when SEO is coupled with valuable content.
SEO is best when:
- When you want to build your domain authority
A website with high domain authority can be seen as a hub of trustworthy and reputable information. By using SEO to grow your domain authority, you experience increased website traffic. This can be done by planning and publishing SEO optimised content, which in turn increases website traffic, grows reputation and enables you to overtake competitors’ sites. - When your goal is to get consistent results
SEO is a long-term project. It takes time to develop and requires ongoing maintenance in order to dominate SERPs. The benefit of SEO is that when you have invested time into a logical approach, you can enjoy ongoing results and increased website traffic that maintains a relatively high position on search engines, without having to spend large sums of money. - If you want to create a valuable website
Websites are a valuable part of any business. If you can create a website that has ongoing traffic, with a high domain authority, good search engine rankings and a good page rank, all of these factors will contribute to increasing the value of your business. Investors typically look to buy into businesses that have potential and an audience, all of which can be achieved through SEO strategies. Taking time to optimise your site for SEO increases the value of your business and enables you to sell it for a premium.
When should I use PPC?
If you are looking for an immediate solution, PPC could be the answer. It offers quick results, however it can require hard work to determine the most successful advertising format without overpaying for results. It also only works as a method of lead generation for as long as the paid campaign runs.
PPC is best when:
- You want fast results
PPC will give you quick results. It allows you to get immediate web traffic, from the moment your PPC campaign has been approved. This makes PPC ideal for promoting product launches, affiliate marketing, seasonal promotions, specific marketing campaigns or event-based marketing. - When your website is not SEO optimised
To keep your website performing on search engines, it requires regular maintenance, which can be time consuming and costly. If improving your SEO if not a priority and you want to be visible on search engines without devoting long periods of time to designing an SEO strategy, PPC is your answer. PPC will help you to increase web traffic without SEO. - If your goal is to rank high on search results for a specific keyword
If you want to have a prominent position on search engines such as Google, you can use PPC to overtake competitors. Many people click on the top three sponsored links, so appearing in these creates an opportunity to increase conversions. If your goal is to capture your target market’s attention through effective keyword targeting, you should maximise your click-share by using PPC to appear in priority keyword searches. - If you are promoting a specific campaign or event
Time-sensitive marketing, for example if you are promoting a Black Friday sale, or tickets to an event, needs fast, targeted results. To maximise your marketing efforts, use PPC and set the period of time that you wish to advertise your campaign for. Whether you want to run a 3-month campaign leading up to Christmas, or you have two days until an event, you can launch a marketing campaign that will deliver results within your time restraints. - If you have a set target demographic
PPC advertising can allow you to target specific demographics. As an example, Facebook allows you to narrow down your audience by showing adverts to people in chosen locations, age groups, or even those with chosen hobbies. This method of lead generation is a great way to promote your business to your exact target demographic. A top tip is to create different messaging for each demographic and run PPC campaigns simultaneously, in a similar way to an A/B test.
Combining SEO and PPC
The great news is that it doesn’t have to be a case of ‘SEO vs. PPC’. In fact, the most successful digital marketing strategies combine both SEO and PPC. Many businesses that are looking to grow their online presence benefit from including SEO and PPC to create a wide-ranging, long-lasting campaign that boosts brand awareness and encourages inbound leads simultaneously.
Struggling to master SEO? Contact WriteMeThis for help with your SEO writing and website content.