SEO vs PPC advertising

You need more customers. You need to outrank the competition on Google. And it's time to do something about it. But which road should you go down? Content marketing or PPC?

And that’s only the first question you need to think about... Which offers a better return on investment? What does organic content marketing even mean? What is PPC advertising? What does PPC stand for?!

Don't worry; we've got you covered. The following guide outlines everything you need to know about organic growth marketing vs PPC advertising.

A brief introduction

PPC means pay-per-click. It's a form of digital marketing where companies pay for ad space in prime spots in Google’s search results. It's pay-per-click because you only pay for the ads users click.

Organic marketing involves producing content that builds trust and loyalty with your target audience. It's a highly effective inbound marketing strategy where your content aligns with the needs and values of your target audience.

Tale of the tape: PPC vs content marketing.

Upfront costs and long-term costs

The cost-per-click on Google Ads varies depending on your keywords. It can be as little as £0.01 or as much as £100 (or even more). The long-term costs of PPC advertising vary depending on the size of your company and marketing campaigns. Smaller firms can run successful PPC ads for a few hundred pounds a month; larger companies budget thousands to attract leads through PPC ads.

An SEO organic growth strategy takes time and capital investment. But once your organic SEO content starts to drive traffic, it will continue to climb the search results, earning clicks and leads without further investment.

Short-term or long-term gains?

PPC campaigns start paying off within a few months, maybe even sooner. PPC advertising gives your site or brand a quick boost, and they're ideal for running targeted promotions or campaigns,

The average conversion rate for pay-per-click advertising is roughly 2.35%. So less than 3 in 10 ads you pay for lead to a real 'win.' But PPC costs start adding up over time.

Content marketing is more of a commitment. And like all true commitments, it offers greater long-term rewards. On average, it takes six months to see the results. But a well-planned out SEO content campaign snowballs, compounding successes as it gathers more momentum.

And it attracts better leads with higher conversion rates. Content and organic search is the savvy option for marketers with a long-term commercial vision based on sustained and real growth.

How to get started with SEO and organic content campaigns

Technical SEO

Technical SEO refers to how your website runs, i.e. How fast is it? Is it mobile-friendly? Are there any broken links or duplicate content? Many are ‘simple’ fixes. Tidying up your site's technical SEO is a great way to give your site a quick ranking boost and attract more organic traffic.

Content

SEO is about ranking high on Google's search indexes. And for that, you need to create content on a regular basis. It doesn't have to be blog posts or long-form how-to guides. Focus on producing the kind of quality your target audience prefers, such as YouTube Videos, podcasts, or even memes.

Authority

Increase your visibility and views by raising your domain authority score (DA). DA is a search engine ranking score developed by Moz that predicts how a website ranks in search engine results. DA scores scale from 1-100. Higher scores equal higher Google rankings

SEO tips and quick wins

You can implement many SEO quick wins immediately. They include:

●    Optimising title tags and images

●    Updating or republishing old posts

●    Adding internal links to new and old pages

●    Optimising anchor texts

●    Adding an about us, author bio, or customer service page. Google's search algorithm loves them.

Now set up your HARO account. HARO (Help a Reporter Out) is an online service connecting journalists with experts who provide content and sources for news reporting.

HARO account holders receive daily requests from a database of thousands of journalists working at some of the world's biggest news and media outlets. A perfect tool for passive lead generation that can get your content backlinked to sites with millions of monthly views.

And start guest blogging. Getting your content onto other sites is a highly effective search engine optimisation strategy. It creates backlinks to your website, builds relationships and professional partnerships, and exposes your brand to a new audience. And all this for the time it takes to write a blog and email interested parties. A great return on investment.

Getting started with pay-per-click (PPC)

Identify search terms

A successful PPC campaign needs the right keywords.

So what’s the best way to choose keywords for PPC?

Keyword research for PPC is a blend of science, marketing fundamentals, psychology, and creativity. You need to put the right words, in the right order, in the right place.

It's about understanding what motivates your customers. What phrases grab their attention? And, more importantly, what terms and keywords compel them to click on your ad instead of all the others?

Create landing pages

You've got the click. Well done. But that was the easy part. Now it's time to convince your customers to stick around and, ultimately, buy or subscribe.

Landing pages are the first thing customers see after clicking a PPC ad. A PPC marketing landing page has one (super-important) job to do: it has to convert that click into something tangible, like sign up, a registration, a subscribe, or a purchase.

Customers actually don't look at or read landing pages; they absorb them. It takes less than a few seconds and is done unconsciously.

But the psychology behind high-converting landing pages is actually quite simple.

●    Don't overload your customer's brain with information. It's a huge ‘click-off’

●    Tease their visual sense with bold colours and contextual images

●    Emphasise what's in it for them with a singular and focused call to action

●    Tell a story

●    Use active and engaging verbs like create, make, share, boost, and learn

Digital marketing strategies for paid ad and PPC campaigns

People like to buy from people, and video sales letters are an ideal way to speak directly to your future customers. And they’re a nice surprise for customers expecting just another bog-standard landing page.

Video sales letters don't have to be explicitly sales-focused; testimonials/reviews from satisfied customers or social media influencers can just be as effective, especially for lifestyle and ethical brands.

Build an audience, then sell to them

People know when they're being 'sold to,' especially if they’re experienced B2B professionals. And in many cases, they don't like it. Obvious and pushy sales tactics feel inauthentic, maybe even a little cheesy.

We're far more likely to buy from brands that naturally align with our needs, wants, and values. So replace the hard sell with the soft sell approach. Use PPC marketing to build up a subscriber list, drive traffic to your free content, arrange networking events, or show off your skillset.

Building a relationship with your future clients and partners first, then offer them a value-led opportunity to buy from you.

What to expect from an SEO agency

Whether it specialises in organic growth marketing or PPC advertising, a good SEO agency will identify your business goals and create a roadmap to achieving them.

You should expect your agency to:

●    Understand and outline the overall goal of the campaign

●    Write a summary of the campaign strategy and timeline

●    Introduce all the team members that will participate in the campaign

●    Demonstrate the actions and deliverables that will make the campaign successful

●    Provide regular reports with measurable KPIs, results, and campaign feedback

Your SEO agency

We know how to rank content and websites onto the 1st page of Google; we've done it more than 1,000 times already.

Specialising in cost-efficient and long-term organic growth, we are a search engine optimisation company that helps businesses like yours rank higher on Google and double website traffic. On average, our clients achieve a 200% lead growth within the first 12 months.

From strategy development to content creation to distribution, we offer a complete SEO outsourcing service guaranteed to outrank competitors and generate more leads.

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