SEO and PPC are both strategies for driving more traffic to your site but there is a key difference between the two. The traffic generated by SEO is organic, free traffic but the traffic from PPC advertising costs money. As the name (Pay-Per-Click) suggests, you have to pay for each person that clicks on an ad and gets redirected to your site. Although you do need to invest some money into your SEO strategy, you are not directly paying for traffic in the same way that you do with PPC.
Understanding the key differences between the two strategies and deciding which is best for your business is crucial if you want to develop your digital marketing plan and get a better return on your investment.
What Is SEO?
SEO (search engine optimization) is the process of changing your website so it appears higher up in the results when people search for certain terms related to your business or your products. Surveys show that in most cases people never scroll past the first page of results (75%), so appearing high up is crucial for driving traffic.
The search rankings are determined by an algorithm that scans sites and works out which ones are most likely to be relevant to the user. Bots will scan for relevant keywords but they also consider the usability and structure of the website and how many other sites link back to that page.
There are a number of ways to improve your search engine rankings, including content marketing, creating a more detailed site map, and getting more natural backlinks. However, managing SEO can be very difficult because the algorithms are updated on a regular basis. Making mistakes with your strategy can cause the algorithm to penalise you and push you down the rankings. This is why many businesses outsource to an SEO Hertfordshire based company to manage their strategy for them.
What Is PPC?
PPC (pay-per-click) advertising still generates traffic through search, but it works in a different way. When somebody searches for a certain term, they will be presented with ads at the top of the page. Whenever somebody clicks one of the ads and gets redirected to your site, you pay a small fee.
The ads that appear are determined by an automated bidding system. In order for your ad to appear, you need to bid on certain keywords that trigger your ads. For example, if you run a kitchen equipment business, you may bid on the term ‘kitchen knife’. Your competitors will also bid on this keyword and whoever bids the most will have their ad displayed first, but will pay a higher fee when it is clicked on. Managing your keyword strategy properly and bidding on the right keywords is crucial if you want to be successful. Unfortunately, many businesses do not see a good return on their investment because they bid on the wrong keywords.
Both PPC and SEO can help you drive more traffic to your site, but SEO tends to be the better solution because more people will click on organic links rather than paid ads.
If you want to improve traffic to your website, you should consider hiring a professional digital marketing agency like TU Marketing. If you are looking for a professional SEO Hertfordshire service that can help your business thrive, we are here to help. We have been assisting businesses and helping them drive more organic traffic to their site for over a decade. So, get in touch today to find out how we can help you improve your SEO strategy!