The Benefits of SEO and PPC Contrasted
There has long been a debate over which internet marketing tactic provides better results- Search Engine Optimization (SEO) or Pay-per-Click (PPC). At Polar Design we have traditionally been an advocate of SEO, as it delivers quality traffic at a lower cost per customer than PPC. In our application of SEO, we have succeeded in attaining first page positions in organic search engine traffic for many of our clients, driving quality, low-cost traffic and customers to clients' sites. However, in the recent recession, it has become increasingly important to ensure that sales continue to flow through the pipeline, which is not something that is guaranteed relying only on search engine traffic!
Experimentation and success with the use of PPC for our own campaign in January and February convinced us to further develop expertise in PPC for our clients. After finding a balance between both methods we have begun integrating PPC into our work with other clients.
Differences Between SEO and PPC
Many believe that the answer to their marketing goals lies in either SEO or PPC, while we have found that an internet marketing campaign can benefit from using both, when it is done properly. As long as the strategies are used correctly (see our complete case study for SEO and PPC best practices) your company can optimize long term costs and ROI.
While SEO is known for delivering traffic at a lower cost, the use of PPC gives a campaign more control over what visitors see. With PPC you can create targeted ads paired with a specific page custom designed based on keywords, so visitors are more likely to be interested in your offer. Because of this, PPC usually has a higher conversion rate.
To confirm this assumption, we compared the conversion rate for a client who used both methods. For this company, the conversion rate for traffic due to SEO was 1.61%, while the conversion rate for PPC traffic was 8.913%.
The following chart demonstrates the difference between a PPC-only and SEO-only where the budget was the same and spent over a 3 month period.
As you might expect, PPC will only garner traffic while money is being spent. Once a PPC campaign is over, the traffic ceases. On the other hand, SEO may take a couple of months to take effect, but the results are long-lasting. This demonstrates that if your company relies solely on SEO, you won't see results right away, but if you rely only on PPC your marketing costs will be higher than what they could be.
To see some of the positive results from a recent PPC campaign, read the full case study here.
Polar Design continues to develop insights and best practices in comprehensive online advertising and marketing management. Please don't hesitate to contact us with questions about your own initiatives.